India's coal plant commissioning slowed, but new proposals persist

According to Global Energy Monitor's ninth annual survey of the coal plant pipeline, India continued to send mixed signals about its future coal use, as new plant commissioning slowed to the lowest in years, but plans for new projects remain and no clear retirement plans are in place. According to the report, India will only commission 3.5 GW of new coal power capacity in 2022. Except for a pandemic slump in 2020, this was the lowest annual addition since a 2014 high, and India's pre-construction coal power capacity fell by nearly 88 percent to 28.5 GW from 2015 to 2022. According to the report, global coal power capacity retirements reached 26 GW in 2022, with another 25 GW receiving an announced close-by date of 2030. India's planned capacity increased by 2.6 GW, but it remained far behind China's proposed coal expansion, which offset planned coal-fired capacity reductions elsewhere. In 2022, the operating coal fleet increased by 19.5 GW, or less than 1%, with 14 countries adding new coal power. More than half (59%) of the 45.5 GW of newly commissioned capacity was in China, followed by India, which will have 3.5 GW of new coal-fired capacity online by 2022. Outside of China, the global coal fleet shrank at a slower pace than in previous years. While coal under development – or coal in pre-construction and construction – has dropped by two-thirds since the Paris Agreement, nearly 350 GW of new capacity has been proposed across 33 countries, with an additional 192 GW under construction. India has planned 28.5 GW of coal power capacity, with roughly a third already permitted, and 32 GW under construction. The states with the most coal power capacity under development are Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh. To stay on track, all existing coal plants must be retired by 2030 in the world's richest countries, and by 2040 everywhere, and there is no room for any new coal plants to come online. While newly proposed coal power capacity has declined significantly, the world is not retiring existing coal plants fast enough. Also Read After long wait, work begins to complete Jaypee Wish Town towers Lithium price drop gives Indians hope for more affordably priced EVs