Coal's steady retreat from power generation gets underway

China has never disguised the fact that coal still dominates its electricity generation sector. But as people focus their attention on the quality of the air they breathe, and on the impact of climate change, the country is seeing a surge in renewable power generation.

As part of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), a total of 150 gigawatts of new coal capacity has been canceled or postponed until at least 2020.

Increasingly strict controls on total coal capacity and power plant emissions are expected to see the closure of older plants producing up to 20 gW, and spur technological upgrades to China's remaining 1,000 gW of coal power, according to analysts.