NO NEW COAL BY 2021

The global pipeline of proposed coal power plants has collapsed by 76% since the 2015 Paris Agreement, with 1,175GW of projects cancelled. While China remains the largest pursuer of coal, hosting 55% of the remaining pre-construction pipeline, many OECD and non-OECD countries have already committed to or are positioned for 'no new coal'. The report highlights that action by six countries—China, India, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Turkey, and Bangladesh—could remove 82% of the remaining global pre-construction pipeline.

• The global pre-construction pipeline for coal power plants decreased by 76% between 2015 and July 2021, with 1,175GW of planned projects cancelled.
• A small group of six countries—China, India, Viet Nam, Indonesia, Turkey, and Bangladesh—account for over 80% of the world's remaining pre-construction pipeline; their collective action could eliminate 82% of it.
• China hosts 55% of the global pre-construction pipeline (163GW) and over half of the world's operating coal fleet, although it has cancelled 484GW of projects since the Paris Agreement.
• In the OECD and EU, the coal pipeline has collapsed by 85% since 2015, and 56% of operating capacity has either closed since 2010 or is scheduled for closure by 2030.
• Among non-OECD countries excluding China, the pre-construction pipeline fell by 77% since 2015, with 552GW cancelled compared to 105GW entering operation.
• China is currently the last major provider of public finance for overseas coal projects; ending this support could lead to the cancellation of over 40GW of projects across 20 countries.
• In India, the pre-construction pipeline has decreased by 92% since 2015, with 326GW of projects cancelled, driven by the increasing cost-competitiveness of renewables.
• South-East Asia's coal pipeline decreased by 63% since 2015, with Malaysia becoming the region's first 'no new coal' nation via its Energy Transition Plan 2021-2040.
• Sub-Saharan Africa's pipeline has fallen by 47% since 2015 to 15GW, with Chinese financial institutions involved in 76% of the region's total pipeline (11.4GW).
• South Africa's state utility Eskom is in a financial crisis with approximately $28bn in debt, partly due to cost overruns and delays at the Medupi and Kusile mega-projects.

APA

LITTLECOTT, C., ROBERTS, L., ŞENLEN, Ö., BURTON, J., JOSHI, M., SHEARER, C., & EWEN, M. (2021). NO NEW COAL BY 2021. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/No-New-Coal-by-2021-the-collapse-of-the-global-pipeline_11.pdf

Chicago

LITTLECOTT, CHRIS, LEO ROBERTS, ÖYKÜ ŞENLEN, JESSE BURTON, MADHURA JOSHI, CHRISTINE SHEARER, and MATT EWEN. NO NEW COAL BY 2021. Global Energy Monitor, 2021. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/No-New-Coal-by-2021-the-collapse-of-the-global-pipeline_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=LITTLECOTT |first1=CHRIS |last2=ROBERTS |first2=LEO |last3=ŞENLEN |first3=ÖYKÜ |last4=BURTON |first4=JESSE |last5=JOSHI |first5=MADHURA |last6=SHEARER |first6=CHRISTINE |last7=EWEN |first7=MATT |title=NO NEW COAL BY 2021 |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=September 2021 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/No-New-Coal-by-2021-the-collapse-of-the-global-pipeline_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{littlecott2021new, author = {LITTLECOTT, CHRIS and ROBERTS, LEO and ŞENLEN, ÖYKÜ and BURTON, JESSE and JOSHI, MADHURA and SHEARER, CHRISTINE and EWEN, MATT}, title = {{NO NEW COAL BY 2021}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/No-New-Coal-by-2021-the-collapse-of-the-global-pipeline_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }