Coal power finance in high-impact countries

This briefing examines the political and economic drivers of coal-fired power investment in 18 high-impact countries (HICs) with significant electricity access gaps, noting that international public finance dominates coal investment while domestic private finance leads in renewables.

• Since 2013, international public finance has been the primary source of funding for new coal-fired power plants in 18 high-impact countries (HICs). In contrast, nearly 60 percent of finance for new renewable power plants in these countries during the same period was provided by domestic private investors.
• Between 2013 and 2019, a total of USD 42 billion was committed to coal-fired power plants in HICs, with financial institutions based in China accounting for 40 percent of this total. Separately, privately held financial institutions in the US account for 58 percent of all global coal industry investment.
• Coal-fired power plants in Bangladesh and Pakistan have experienced underutilization due to infrastructure constraints and lower than expected demand, illustrating the risk of stranded assets. Additionally, the long development timelines for thermal power make coal an ineffective tool for meeting the Sustainable Development Goal 7 target of universal electricity access by 2030, compared to distributed renewable energy.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2021). Coal power finance in high-impact countries. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/coal-power-finance-in-high-impact-countries/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. Coal power finance in high-impact countries. 2021. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/coal-power-finance-in-high-impact-countries/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=Coal power finance in high-impact countries |date=16 September 2021 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/coal-power-finance-in-high-impact-countries/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2021coal, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{Coal power finance in high-impact countries}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/publication/coal-power-finance-in-high-impact-countries/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }