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This report by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) analyzes the state of coal power expansion in China as of February 2026. It highlights a critical divergence where coal capacity reached a decade-high in 2025 despite falling generation and the rapid growth of clean energy and storage. The authors argue that current investment incentives and a large project pipeline risk locking in overcapacity and hindering China's 2030 climate targets, urging a fundamental shift in coal's role from baseload power to a flexible, residual support resource during the 15th Five-Year Plan.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) examines the structural inertia preventing a transition away from coal in China's power system. Despite a record decline in coal's share of power generation and the rapid expansion of renewables, coal capacity continues to grow due to high commissioning rates, strong project approvals, and institutional protections such as capacity payments and inflexible dispatch rules. The report highlights a significant gap between official retirement targets and actual progress, urging the development of a national roadmap for coal phase-down in the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan.

This report by Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) examines the conflicting dynamics of China's energy transition in 2024, where record-breaking clean energy expansion is occurring simultaneously with a significant increase in coal power construction and approvals.

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor analyzes China's rapid expansion of nuclear power capacity, noting that China is building nearly half of the world's new nuclear power. While the country is positioned to become the world's second-largest nuclear fleet, overtaking France, its progress is tempered by a long-standing moratorium on inland nuclear plants and a massive volume of cancelled projects.