TRACKING OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS A COAL‑FREE FUTURE
To fix the climate crisis, the world needs to stop burning coal as fast as possible.
One-third of all carbon emissions come from burning coal, making it the single largest contributor to climate change.
Thankfully, advancements in renewable energy technologies mean that coal is no longer necessary and the work to phase it out is already well underway. The US has shuttered or announced plans to retire more than 65% of its coal plants over the last decade, and nearly half of Europe’s coal fleet has been confirmed for retirement in just the past five years. Progress isn’t just happening — it’s accelerating.
The Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown has one singular mission: To track and count down the world’s remaining coal plant units as decision makers across governments and the private sector work together to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future.
6,565
Global Number of Operating Plant Units
+0.02%
Net Change in 1 Year
2,082,581
Top Global Coal Plant Capacity by MW
+0.93%
Net Change in 1 Year
Top 10 Country Ranking By...
OPERATIONAL CAPACITY (MW)
The Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown provides data on coal capacity and phase-out journey around the world. The Coal Plant Status map shows all existing coal plants of 30 MW or larger, as well as every plant proposed, by their operational status since January 1, 2010. The Phase-Out Status map shows the phase-out commitments of individual countries as of January 2023. The No New Coal Status map shows the no new coal commitments of individual countries as of January 2023.
Data is provided by Global Energy Monitor, University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability, and Powering Past Coal Alliance.
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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Global Coal Plants and Development Pipeline by Status
Global Emission Reduction Scenarios
GHG Emissions from Coal Plants (in GtCO2e)
Capacity Change 2019-2023 by Region
If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.
Michael R. Bloomberg
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL’S SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE AMBITION AND SOLUTIONS
FOUNDER OF BLOOMBERG LP AND BLOOMBERG PHILANTHROPIES
I am calling on all governments, private companies, and local authorities to… cancel all global coal projects in the pipeline and end the deadly addiction to coal.
António Guterres
SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
FEATURED ANALYSIS
Powering Past Coal 2022
Marking its fifth anniversary, the Alliance has published "Powering Past Coal – The state of global action to end emissions from coal power" – a report featuring thirteen case studies illustrating the practical choices, pathways, and strategies pursued by diverse PPCA members to ...
November 15, 2022
Powering Past Coal 2022
Marking its fifth anniversary, the Alliance has published "Powering Past Coal – The state of global action to end emissions from coal power" – a report featuring thirteen case studies illustrating the practical choices, pathways, and strategies pursued by diverse PPCA members to ...
November 15, 2022
Policy brief: A global plant-by-plant coal phase-out strategy
This policy brief series explores near-term coal retirement potentials and develops plant-by-plant retirement pathways to achieve 1.5°C-compatible phaseouts for individual countries. To balance broader national development goals, we apply a five-dimensional framework that integra ...
October 22, 2021
Policy brief: A global plant-by-plant coal phase-out strategy
This policy brief series explores near-term coal retirement potentials and develops plant-by-plant retirement pathways to achieve 1.5°C-compatible phaseouts for individual countries. To balance broader national development goals, we apply a five-dimensional framework that integra ...
October 22, 2021
No New Coal Factbook
The global pipeline of proposed coal power plants has collapsed by 76% since the Paris Agreement in 2015, bringing the end of new coal power construction into sight. Since 2015, 44 governments (27 in the OECD & EU, 17 elsewhere) have already committed to no new coal, opening a pa ...
October 07, 2021
No New Coal Factbook
The global pipeline of proposed coal power plants has collapsed by 76% since the Paris Agreement in 2015, bringing the end of new coal power construction into sight. Since 2015, 44 governments (27 in the OECD & EU, 17 elsewhere) have already committed to no new coal, opening a pa ...
October 07, 2021
LET’S END COAL NOW.
© 2023. BLOOMBERG GLOBAL COAL COUNTDOWN.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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