Global Coal Risk Assessment

This working paper by the World Resources Institute assesses potential future risks to the global climate by analyzing proposed new coal-fired power plants and global coal market trends.

• WRI estimates that 1,199 new coal-fired plants are being proposed across 59 countries, with a total installed capacity of 1,401,278 megawatts (MW). China and India combined represent 76 percent of these proposed new capacities.
• Proposed coal-fired plants have been identified in 10 developing countries—Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Laos, Morocco, Namibia, Oman, Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan—none of which currently possess significant domestic coal production capacity.
• The global coal trade is shifting from the Atlantic market (led by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States) toward the Pacific market (led by Japan, China, South Korea, and India). Consequently, Australia is proposing to triple its coal export capacity to 900 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa).
• A total of 483 power companies have proposed new plants, with Huaneng, Guodian, and NTPC as the top proposers. The 'Big Five' Chinese companies (Datang, Huaneng, Guodian, Huadian, and China Power Investment) are the largest global producers and top developers of new plants.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Global Coal Risk Assessment. https://www.wri.org/research/global-coal-risk-assessment

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Global Coal Risk Assessment. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/global-coal-risk-assessment.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Global Coal Risk Assessment |url=https://www.wri.org/research/global-coal-risk-assessment |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendglobal, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Global Coal Risk Assessment}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/global-coal-risk-assessment}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }