The majority of China's coal-fired power plants will need to be retired by 2050 for the country to meet the pledges it commited to during COP26 in Glasgow. Nevertheless, China is planning an expansion in coal-fired capacity over the coming decade. And while the country's coal use is forecast to eventually decline under both a business-as-usual and a pledges scenario, coal-fired capacity by 2050 would still be out of sync with the Paris-aligned trajectory that limits global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Coal-fired capacity pathway to carbon neutrality in China from 2020 to 2050, by scenario
(in gigawatts)
* Historic figures.
From 2025, figures are forecasts based on different scenarios. Pledges refer to projected coal capacity assuming full implementation of COP26 (Glasgow) pledges, while the 1.5 scenario is consistent with IPCC scenarios that limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
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Global Energy Monitor. (April 1, 2022). Coal-fired capacity pathway to carbon neutrality in China from 2020 to 2050, by scenario (in gigawatts) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1359617/coal-capacity-carbon-neutral-pathway-scenario-china/
Global Energy Monitor. "Coal-fired capacity pathway to carbon neutrality in China from 2020 to 2050, by scenario (in gigawatts)." Chart. April 1, 2022. Statista. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1359617/coal-capacity-carbon-neutral-pathway-scenario-china/
Global Energy Monitor. (2022). Coal-fired capacity pathway to carbon neutrality in China from 2020 to 2050, by scenario (in gigawatts). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 25, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1359617/coal-capacity-carbon-neutral-pathway-scenario-china/
Global Energy Monitor. "Coal-fired Capacity Pathway to Carbon Neutrality in China from 2020 to 2050, by Scenario (in Gigawatts)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Apr 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1359617/coal-capacity-carbon-neutral-pathway-scenario-china/
Global Energy Monitor, Coal-fired capacity pathway to carbon neutrality in China from 2020 to 2050, by scenario (in gigawatts) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1359617/coal-capacity-carbon-neutral-pathway-scenario-china/ (last visited August 25, 2024)
Coal-fired capacity pathway to carbon neutrality in China from 2020 to 2050, by scenario (in gigawatts) [Graph], Global Energy Monitor, April 1, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1359617/coal-capacity-carbon-neutral-pathway-scenario-china/