Reconsidering Planned Generation

The document argues that rapid declines in clean energy costs and evolving grid needs make many planned coal plants economically risky. It introduces a five-indicator framework to identify high-priority candidates for reconsideration and suggests a phased approach to transitioning these projects to alternatives like solar paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS).

• As of October 2025, there are over 640 GW of grid-connected coal power in the global development pipeline, with the vast majority (630 GW or over 98%) planned in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• A significant portion of the current coal pipeline consists of projects conceived over a decade ago that were revived during recent energy crises; specifically, 28% (over 170 GW) of planned capacity in LMICs was conceived prior to 2016.
• RMI proposes a five-indicator framework to identify coal plants ripe for reconsideration based on: fuel source (imported vs. domestic), original conception date, sunk costs and contractual obligations, original designed grid role (e.g., baseload), and how grid needs have evolved.
• Planned coal plants are increasingly at risk of becoming economic burdens because solar paired with battery energy storage systems (BESS) is becoming cheaper than even the most efficient new coal plants on a levelized basis.
• The document identifies specific categories of plants as 'higher priority to reconsider,' such as preconstruction plants with minimal capital invested, those designed for baseload in grids that now require flexibility, or those in regions with significant new solar deployment.

APA

RMI (2026). Reconsidering Planned Generation. https://rmi.org/resources/reconsidering-planned-generation-report/

Chicago

RMI. Reconsidering Planned Generation. 2026. https://rmi.org/resources/reconsidering-planned-generation-report/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Reconsidering Planned Generation |date=4 June 2026 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/reconsidering-planned-generation-report/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2026reconsidering, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Reconsidering Planned Generation}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/reconsidering-planned-generation-report/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }