OSLO: The amount of coal-fired power generation under development worldwide has shrunk by 14 per cent this year, driven down by China as it struggles with oversupply and tries to promote cleaner energy, a study showed on Wednesday.

India also introduced policies in the first half of 2016 curbing plans for coal-fired plants, partly due to under-utilisation of existing plants, according to a Global Coal Plant Tracker run by non-government and anti-coal group CoalSwarm.

Overall, the amount of coal-fired generating capacity in pre-construction planning fell 14 per cent to an estimated 932 gigawatts (GW) in July from 1,090 GW at the start of the year, it said.

The overall decline, of 158 GW, was almost equal to the coal generating capacity of the European Union, at 162 GW, it said.

“It’s a combination of environmental concerns, including climate and health, along with the deteriorating economics of coal,” Ted Nace, director of CoalSwarm, said.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2016