China’s power industry began construction on nearly 100 gigawatts of new coal plant capacity last year, the most in nearly a decade, a report from two clean-energy groups said Thursday. The development raises concerns about the country’s ability to meet its carbon reduction goals and threatens to undercut China's massive expansion in solar and wind power,

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’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.