The frenzied addition of coal plants underscores how the world is set to remain dependent on coal for decades despite fast growth in renewable energy sources like wind and solar power
In a world where more than 1 billion people have no electricity and a much larger number live in deep energy poverty, only the fossil fuel industry has developed the ability to produce energy for electricity, fuel and heat for those in need. The politically popular alternatives, solar and wind, are expensive, unreliables that depend on reliable sources, mostly fossil fuels for life support reports Alex Epstein. 1
Overall, 1,600 coal plants are planned or are under construction in 62 countries. The new plants would expand the world's coal-fired power capacity by 43 percent. The fleet of new coal plants would make it virtually impossible to meet the goals set in the Paris climate accord. 2
Leading the pack is China with 11 of the 20 biggest coal plant developers.
Even though China claimed to halt plans for more than 100 new coal-fired power plants this year as President Trump vowed to 'bring back coal' in America, the contrast seemed to confirm Beijing's new role as a leader in the fight against climate change.
But new data on the world's biggest developer of coal-fired power plants paints a very different picture: China's energy companies will make up nearly half of the new coal generation expected to go online in the next decade reports Hiroko Tabuchi. 2
