The new report indicates there has been a 48 percent decline in planned coal units, together with a 62 percent fall in new construction starts. the driver for the decline appears to be a number of cancellations to planned works in both India and China, which the report indicates is due to a change in economic policy. With China over 600 coal-fired projects have been put on hold, pending a review in 2020. With India, 13 projects have been cancelled.
In other parts of Asia, however, there is a relatively high number of coal power constructions in development. To counter balance this in Europe and the U.S. 120 coal-power facilities have been decommissioned. It should be noted that the figures in the report have been challenged by the World Coal Association. A spokesperson, commenting on the Asian regions to The Independent, stated: “”For these countries, excluding coal from the energy mix is not an option; it is essential for economic growth and critical in securing energy access.”
The report has been issued by from a consortium of environmental campaign groups. The report, which includes Greenpeace among the contributing bodies, is titled Boom and Bust.
Interviewed by the BBC, Ted Nace, who is the director of one of the environmental group partners, called CoalSwarm, said: “It’s not normal to see construction frozen at scores of locations, but central authorities in China and bankers in India have come to recognize overbuilding of coal plants as a major waste of resources..”
In welcoming the news, Nace continues in a positive vein: “shift from fossil fuels to clean sources in the power sector is a positive one for health, climate security, and jobs. And by all indications, the shift is unstoppable.”
