In the first six months of 2020 (Jan-Jun), world’s fleet of coal-fired power plants has recorded a net decline of 2.9 GW (Gigawatt) implying that the no.of retired coal plants exceeded the plants added during the said time period, Global Coal Plant Tracker’s data reveals.
The total capacity of coal plants retired globally in H1 CY20 stood at 21.2 GW whereas the added capacity stood at 18.2 GW taking the world’s total coal-fired plants capacity to 2,047 GW.
Retired capacity – India, U.S. and EU take the credit
—This net decline in 2020 can be majorly attributed to countries like India – where new plants commissioning slowed due to COVID-19 pandemic but plants closure continued and record retirements in U.S. and EU (European Union) amid stricter pollution regulations.
—In H1 2020, EU27 coal use fell by 32%, as lower power demand from the Covid-19 pandemic primarily affected coal plants due to their higher operating costs.
—S. retired 5.45 GW capacity, followed by Canada at 4.76 GW, United Kingdom at 3.32 GW, China at 1.7 GW and India at 1.23 GW.
Commissioned capacity – China leads the pack
—On the other hand, coal plants commissioning in H1 CY20 is led by China (11.4 GW) and Japan (1.85 GW). Germany also added 1.1 GW capacity which would retire as the country plans to phase out coal by 2038.
—In fact, only China started construction of 6.27 GW capacity and resumed construction of 6.54 GW capacity in H1 CY20 amongst all countries.
—The country alone is now home to half of all operating coal power capacity (1,022.9 GW), as well as half of capacity in the pipeline (252.2 GW).
—In H1 CY20, Chinese provinces were granted permits for 19.7 GW of new coal capacity, the highest since 2016, when the government started restricting permission.
—Reports suggest that most of this activity has taken place since March, raising concerns that provinces are regarding coal plants as a form of post-COVID economic stimulus to counter the financial slowdown.
Cancelled capacity – India marches ahead
In terms of cancellations, India topped the list with a total of 27.1 GW coal capacity being cancelled followed by China at 20.9 GW, Indonesia at 5.8 GW, and Poland at 4.0 GW.
India has been reducing its share of global coal power development, from 17% of the world pipeline in mid-2018 to 12% in mid-2020. The country also had no new construction in H1 2020 and shrank its coal fleet by 0.3 GW.
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