Coal power plant capacity falls in India, Paris Agreement goal still far
India saw a steep decline in coal-based power projects in CY2019, with 47 gigawatts of projects being cancelled at various stages, reducing the under-development coal capacity to 66 Gw. This was revealed in a report released by four non-governmental organisations, which looked at key indicators of the coal power sector globally.
Pre-construction capacity in India halved to 29.3 Gw in 2019 from 60.2 Gw in 2018, the joint study conducted by Global Energy Monitor, Sierra Club, Greenpeace International, Centre for Energy for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found.
The fall in coal-based power generation is being attributed to surplus generation and subdued demand for electricity. The power plants are operating at a lower plant load factor (PLF) and are unable to sell the electricity they produce.
