Page 4 - AfrElec Week 17 2022

AfrElec COMMENTARY AfrElec

Coal expansion slows slightly

in 2021, but far more is needed

to meet net-zero targets

AFRICA TOTAL global coal power capacity under devel- report, its eighth annual survey of the coal plant
opment declined by 13% in 2021 to 457 GW, a pipeline.
record low, with the number of countries build- In 2021, the operating coal fleet grew by a net
ing coal plants falling from 41 in 2020 to 34 in 18.2 GW, a post-COVID rebound in a year that
2021. saw a slowdown in coal plant retirements.
The amount of coal-fired generating capacity However, if China, which added a net 25.2
actually increased by a net 18.2 GW, a post-coro- GW in 2021 of coal capacity, is ignored, then the
navirus (COVID-19) rebound in a year that saw world’s coal fleet actually fell by 5.9 GW. Indeed,
a slowdown in coal plant retirements. China’s net additions nearly offset coal plant
This means that coal is resiliently keeping in retirements in the rest of the world (25.6 GW).
central role in many countries’ power industries, The six countries with the most coal con-
meaning that steeper cuts and more and quicker struction at the pre-construction stage, mean-
retirements will be needed if the world is to ing announced, pre-permitted or permitted, are
achieve its climate goals, the report’s authors Turkey, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India
warned. and China, which together account for 84% of
China, South Korea and Japan have all the global total of 280 GW.
pledged to stop funding new coal plants in other However, the longer-term prospects could be
countries, a decision that has caused many coal better, as the report noted that there had been
projects in developing Africa and Asia to be a 77% fall in coal plant capacity in pre-con-
shelved. The 457-GW figure compares with 525 struction since the Paris Agreement was signed
GW under development in 2020, Global Energy in 2015. However, the current surge in coal
Monitor said in its Boom and Bust Coal 2022 development will have to stop if net zero is to be

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