Boom and Bust Coal 2025

The 'Boom and Bust Coal 2025' report tracks global coal-fired power plant trends in 2024, noting a 20-year low in new capacity globally, though significant construction surges continue in China and India. While the EU and UK have accelerated coal phase-outs, Indonesia faces a contradictory trend where 'captive' coal plants for industrial use are increasing despite national transition goals.

• In 2024, the world recorded the lowest new coal-fired power plant capacity in two decades, totaling 44 GW, which is nearly 30 GW lower than the 2004–2024 annual average of 72 GW.
• China and India dominated new coal proposals in 2024, together accounting for 92% of the global total (107 GW out of 116 GW). China saw its highest number of construction starts since 2015 with 94 GW, while India proposed 38 GW of new capacity.
• The European Union (EU27) saw a fourfold increase in coal plant closures in 2024, rising from 2.7 GW in 2023 to 11 GW, with Germany contributing the most at 6.7 GW. The United Kingdom closed its final coal plant, becoming the sixth country to fully phase out coal since the 2015 Paris Agreement.
• In Indonesia, there is a surge in 'captive' coal plants—those serving high-energy industries like metal smelting—which accounted for over 80% of the 1.9 GW of new capacity in 2024. Captive capacity for the industrial sector grew from 5.5 GW in 2019 to 16.6 GW in 2024.
• Indonesia's national energy plans show a contradiction between climate goals and infrastructure; the National Electricity Plan 2024–2060 outlines an addition of 26.7 GW of coal capacity over the next seven years, 75% of which are captive plants.
• The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in Indonesia faced setbacks in February 2025 when the United States withdrew under the second Trump administration, leaving Germany and Japan to take the lead. The US had previously pledged US$2 billion, nearly 10% of the total US$21.6 billion fund.
• Indonesia's coal production reached a record 831 million tons in 2024, 17% above the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) target, with over half of this production exported.

APA

Trend Asia (2025). Boom and Bust Coal 2025. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Boom-and-Bust-Coal-2025-Indonesian.pdf

Chicago

Trend Asia. Boom and Bust Coal 2025. 2025. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Boom-and-Bust-Coal-2025-Indonesian.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Trend Asia |title=Boom and Bust Coal 2025 |date=April 2025 |url=https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Boom-and-Bust-Coal-2025-Indonesian.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trendasia2025boom, author = {{Trend Asia}}, title = {{Boom and Bust Coal 2025}}, institution = {Trend Asia}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Boom-and-Bust-Coal-2025-Indonesian.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }