Boom and Bust 2019

Prepared by: Greenpeace, Coal Swarm, Sierra Club
Published date: March 2019

For the third year in a row, most leading indicators of coal power capacity growth declined in 2018, including construction starts, pre-construction activity, and plant completions, according to the Global Coal Plant Tracker. In China and India, which have accounted for 85% of new coal power capacity since 2005, the number of permits for new coal plants dropped to record lows. The level of coal plant retirements continued at a record pace, led primarily by the US, despite efforts by the Trump Administration to keep aging coal plants online.