China has cut new coal power plant permits by nearly 80%, Greenpeace says

BEIJING: China, the world's largest builder of coal-fired power stations, cut the number of permits for new plants by nearly 80% in the first half of 2024, an environmental group report finds, saying time would tell whether it was a turning point.

The Greenpeace East Asia report, based on new project approval data, also found China's combined wind and solar capacity of 11.8 terawatts (TW) exceeded coal capacity (11.7TW) for the first time in the first half, and made up 84.2% of all new grid-connected capacity.