Global coal-fired power generating capacity sees first half-year decline on record

The latest: The net amount of global capacity fell by 2.9 gigawatts to 2,047 GW, the group reports.

• "The fall — including a decline in India — was due to a combination of slowed commissioning due to the Covid-19 pandemic and record retirements in the EU from strengthened pollution regulations."
• New plant additions were concentrated largely in China, the world's biggest CO2 emitter.
• The net decline is a stark contrast from the average of 25GW of growth each half year for the past two decades.

Yes, but: A combined hundreds of gigawatts are under construction or in the planning stages, according to the group.

• "Despite the decline in the global coal fleet, meeting global climate goals requires a much more rapid reduction in coal power use, with generation falling by at least half this decade in pathways that limit warming to well-below 2C, and up to three-fourths for 1.5C," Shearer writes.