A new report by Global Energy Monitor has found that, according to available data, several European countries are considering transferring equipment from decommissioned coal-fired power stations to Ukraine to restore generating capacity damaged by Russian strikes.
According to the Boom and Bust 2026 report – a leading study of the global coal fleet, now in its eleventh consecutive year – 15.7 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired capacity in Ukraine is currently mothballed or damaged. In the territory controlled by Ukraine, internal estimates suggest that less than 1 GW of coal-fired capacity remains operational following numerous Russian strikes. In total, around 3.5 GW of coal-fired capacity is operational, including power stations located in Russian-occupied territories in the east of the country.
Critics warn that restoring outdated and polluting coal infrastructure risks tying the country to inefficient and expensive technologies for the long term, just as Ukraine is aligning its energy policy and legislation with EU standards – which are geared towards cheaper renewable sources as a more sustainable and competitive alternative in the long term.
Dr Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director of Razom We Stand, said:
“Replacing expensive, dirty and outdated large coal-fired power units only creates problems and makes it harder for Ukraine to meet EU legislative requirements. The best economic solutions rely on cheaper renewable energy sources – harnessing free natural resources such as the sun and wind – rather than requiring additional extraction or costly imports, which undermine energy security.”
Key global trends in 2025
- In 2025, global coal-fired generation capacity continued to grow, whilst coal-fired electricity production declined. Global coal-fired capacity rose by 3.5%, whilst coal-fired electricity generation fell by 0.6%, widening the gap between capacity expansion and actual coal consumption.
- Coal-fired electricity generation fell most sharply in China and India, despite record additions to installed capacity in both countries. In China, coal-fired capacity rose by 6%, whilst electricity generation fell by 1.2%; in India, capacity increased by 3.8%, whilst generation fell by 2.9%. In both countries, wind and solar power met most or all of the increase in demand, which explains the discrepancy between rising capacity and falling generation.
- In China, the number of new and reactivated coal projects in 2025 reached a record level – 161.7 GW. In total, China has over 500 GW of coal-fired capacity at various stages of development. If implemented, these projects will commit the country to many years of coal expansion right up to the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), during which the government has pledged to reduce coal consumption.
- In 2025, India recorded 27.9 GW of new and reactivated coal-fired power plant proposals. In total, India has 107.3 GW of capacity at the pre-project planning stage and a further 23.5 GW under construction. The Indian government has set a target to add 100 GW of new coal-fired capacity over the next seven years — even though a record-breaking roll-out of solar and wind installations has raised the share of non-fossil sources to more than half of total installed capacity by 2025.
- Globally, almost 70% of coal-fired units scheduled for decommissioning in 2025 have not been decommissioned, including 69% of those scheduled for closure in the EU and 59% in the US. In the EU, most of the missed closures are due to postponements that began during the 2022–2023 energy crisis, despite the fact that formal commitments to a phased phase-out of coal remain in force. In the US, the delays were directly linked to government intervention: ageing coal-fired power stations were kept online by direct orders.
- Coal-fired power plant construction outside China and India has reached a record low, accounting for just 5% of global construction in 2025. Global coal expansion is increasingly driven by a few countries rather than broad global demand.
- Indonesia’s coal fleet grew by 7% in 2025, with a quarter of the increase accounted for by coal for domestic nickel and aluminium processing.
- The country also ranked third in the world for total proposed coal-fired capacity (11 GW) after China and India – taking into account both new grid-connected projects and off-grid projects.
- In Turkey, only one active proposal for a coal-fired power plant remains – whilst the country prepares for the COP31 climate conference; by comparison, there were over 70 such proposals in 2015.
- In South Asia, outside India, coal-fired generation relies heavily on imports. Pakistan has rapidly rolled out decentralised solar installations, which increase resilience to fluctuations in fossil fuel markets, whilst Bangladesh has faced technical difficulties and fuel supply issues in the thermal power sector and has not yet deployed significant renewable capacity.
- In South-East Asia, outside Indonesia, the commissioning of new coal-fired capacity has been declining for the third consecutive year, although gas supply disruptions in 2026 prompted some countries to rely more heavily on existing coal-fired capacity.
- In Africa, coal proposals have once again concentrated in Zimbabwe and Zambia, which together account for two-thirds of new coal development in the region.
In addition to Global Energy Monitor, the report’s co-authors are: The Africa Just Transition Network (AJTN), ARAYARA International Institute, Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED), CEE Bankwatch Network, Beyond Fossil Fuels, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Chile Sustentable, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network (CLEAN), Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA), E3G, The Institute of Lawyers for the Protection of the Environment (INSAPROMA), Kiko Network, POLEN Transiciones Justas, Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development (PRIED), Razom We Stand, Reclaim Finance, Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC), Trend Asia and Waterkeepers Bangladesh (WKB).
