A new report says China’s power industry began construction on nearly 100 gigawatts of new coal plant capacity last year, the most in nearly a decade.

China started construction on 94.5 gigawatts of coal-fired power in 2024, the highest volume of new builds since 2015, hampering the country's transition away from fossil fuels, researchers said in a report published on Thursday.

China began construction on projects with the greatest combined coal power capacity since 2015, jeopardising its goal to peak carbon emissions by 2030, according to a report.

China’s coal plant construction surged last year to the highest level in almost a decade, conflicting with President Xi Jinping’s promise that carbon emissions would peak before 2030, researchers have said.