Boom and Bust Coal 2026

The report 'Boom and Bust Coal 2026' by Global Energy Monitor analyzes the global coal plant pipeline in 2025, highlighting a growing disconnect where coal capacity continues to increase—driven primarily by China and India—while actual coal-fired electricity generation declines due to the rapid expansion of wind and solar power.

• In 2025, there was a widening disconnect between global coal capacity and actual generation; while global coal capacity increased by 3.5%, coal-fired electricity generation fell by 0.6%.
• China and India dominate the global coal pipeline, accounting for 95% of all coal plant construction globally in 2025. In China, new and reactivated coal power projects reached a record high of 161.7 GW in 2025, with over 500 GW of total capacity in development.
• India's coal fleet grew by 4% in 2025 to over 250 GW, and the government has a target to add 100 GW of new coal capacity over the next seven years, despite non-fossil capacity surpassing 50% of total installed power capacity in 2025.
• Global coal retirements slowed significantly in 2025, with nearly 70% of units scheduled to retire failing to do so. This was particularly evident in the EU (69% missed retirements) and the U.S. (59% missed retirements).
• Latin America reached 'No New Coal' status in 2025 after Brazil shelved its final proposed coal projects. However, some countries in the region are backsliding on retirement dates.
• Indonesia's coal fleet grew by 7% in 2025, largely driven by captive coal for nickel and aluminum processing. Operating captive capacity reached 20 GW, with nearly 17 GW associated with the nickel and aluminum industries.
• South Korea pledged in 2025 to phase out coal power by 2040 and joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance. In contrast, Japan maintains one proposed coal plant and continues to promote 'clean coal' and ammonia co-firing without a binding national phaseout timeline.
• In Africa, coal proposals are concentrated in Zimbabwe and Zambia, which together accounted for two-thirds of new coal development in the region in 2025.

APA

Trend Asia (2026). Boom and Bust Coal 2026. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Boom-and-Bust-Coal-2026.pdf

Chicago

Trend Asia. Boom and Bust Coal 2026. 2026. https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Boom-and-Bust-Coal-2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

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

BibTeX

@techreport{trendasia2026boom, author = {{Trend Asia}}, title = {{Boom and Bust Coal 2026}}, institution = {Trend Asia}, year = {2026}, url = {https://trendasia.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Boom-and-Bust-Coal-2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }