China drove a global surge in new coal-fired power plants last year, building and approving capacity at a rate not seen in nine years despite the country’s promise to “strictly control” its use of the most damaging fossil fuel, according to a new report, reports the South China Morning Post. China accounted for two-thirds of the coal-fired power capacity that came online last year, adding 47.4 gigawatts (GW) out of the global total of 69.5GW, according to an annual survey released on Thursday by San Francisco-based Global Energy Monitor (GEM) and 14 other non-profit climate organisations.
Despite retiring 21.1GW of coal capacity in 2023, the world’s net annual capacity increased by 2% or 48.4GW due to China slowing down its coal plant retirement and adding new capacity, GEM said.
“The recent surge in coal-power development in China starkly contrasts with the global trend, putting China’s 2025 climate targets at risk,” said Qin Qi, China analyst of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which jointly published the report.