Coal’s Persistence Signals The Myth Of The Energy Transition

The supposed energy transition from fossil fuels to a suite of government-supported alternatives like wind and solar has always seemed more of a marketing campaign than reality. It’s a transition that has we are asked to believe has been ongoing since at least 2015 and the signing of the Paris Climate Accords, yet the percentage of primary energy supplied by oil, natural gas, and coal continues to hover right at the 80% level despite all the trillions of dollars in government subsidies thrown at the problem.

Through it all, the unyielding resilience of coal as the king pin of power generation has remained the leading indicator of the transition’s failure to truly take hold. Several news items from the week just past clearly show coal’s resilience is not fading and may actually be on the rise again.

China Hits New Record In Coal Plant Construction

First, there is a Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) report showing that construction of new coal-fired power plants in China reached a 10-year high in 2024. CREA finds that “China approved 66.7 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired power capacity in 2024, with approvals picking up in the second half after a slower start to the year.” It is an indicator that, despite a narrative that China is leading the world in converting its power systems to renewables, the expansion of its coal sector may actually be accelerating again.