Largest global coal power plants in operation by capacity 2021

Datang Tuoketuo power station in China is the largest operational coal power plant in the world. As of 2021, the power station had a capacity of roughly 6.7 gigawatts. Ranking second and third, Taean power station and Dangjin power station had a gross generating capacity of 6.4 and 6.04 gigawatts, respectively. Six out of the ten largest coal power plants in the world are in China. Unsurprisingly, the East Asian country has the highest coal consumption, and by far the largest number of operational coal power plants in the world.

The future of coal

Following the 2015 Paris Agreement, major coal using countries recognized the need to change the coal energy industry, substituting coal for electricity generation with cleaner energy sources. In addition to health threats, coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel, and therefore it is crucial to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from this source to mitigate global climate change. Over 40 countries pledged to quit coal in the 2021 COP26 climate summit.

Will coal ever be phased out?

Despite the common conclusion that coal should be phased out, a lot of countries still depend on this source to guarantee enough electricity for their population. In 2021, Mongolia’s coal share in the power mix stood at over 88 percent. South Africa and India followed, ranking second and third with a coal share of 84 and 74 percent of the total electricity mix, respectively. That year, the global average was around 36.5 percent. These figures represent the disparity between various countries and their continued reliance on coal.