Boom and Bust 2019

The report finds that most indicators of global coal power growth declined in 2018, with significant drops in new construction starts and permits in China and India. While global retirements reached near-record levels, led by the US, China remains a major exception by resuming construction on previously shelved plants and proposing a high coal power cap for 2030. The document argues that current operating coal plants already exceed the limits necessary to meet IPCC global warming targets of 1.5°C or 2°C.

• Most leading indicators of coal power capacity growth declined in 2018, including a 39% drop in new construction starts from 2017 and an 84% drop since 2015.
• Global coal plant retirements continued at a record pace in 2018, making it the third highest year for retirements globally. The US led this trend with 17.6 GW of retired capacity, the second-highest year for the US after 2015.
• China is a major exception to the global decline, having resumed construction on over 50 GW of coal power capacity that was previously postponed. Additionally, the China Electricity Council proposed a 2030 coal power cap of 1,300 GW, which would allow for an increase of 290 GW over current levels.
• India has seen a significant slowdown in coal permitting, with less than 3 GW permitted for construction in 2018. For the second consecutive year, India added more solar and wind power capacity than thermal power capacity in 2018.
• The pre-construction pipeline for coal power has fallen nearly 70% since 2015, dropping from 1,090 GW to 339 GW in 2018. This decline was most rapid in China and India, though offset slightly by Chinese-financed proposals in Russia, Egypt, South Africa, and Bangladesh.
• Emissions from currently operating coal plants, based on average utilization and lifetime, are already too high to limit global warming to 1.5°C or 2°C according to IPCC estimates.

APA

Shearer, C., Mathew-Shah, N., Myllyvirta, L., Yu, A., & Nace, T. (2019). Boom and Bust 2019. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/BoomAndBust_2019_r6_11.pdf

Chicago

Shearer, Christine, Neha Mathew-Shah, Lauri Myllyvirta, Aiqun Yu, and Ted Nace. Boom and Bust 2019. Global Energy Monitor, 2019. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/BoomAndBust_2019_r6_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shearer |first1=Christine |last2=Mathew-Shah |first2=Neha |last3=Myllyvirta |first3=Lauri |last4=Yu |first4=Aiqun |last5=Nace |first5=Ted |title=Boom and Bust 2019 |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=March 2019 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/BoomAndBust_2019_r6_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shearer2019boom, author = {Shearer, Christine and Mathew-Shah, Neha and Myllyvirta, Lauri and Yu, Aiqun and Nace, Ted}, title = {{Boom and Bust 2019}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2019}, month = mar, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/BoomAndBust_2019_r6_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }