China's appetite for coal power returns despite climate pledge

Capacity rose by 42.9GW in 18 months, far outpacing global efforts to cut use of fossil fuel

China's growing appetite for new coal-fired power stations has outstripped plant closures in the rest of the world since the start of last year, data shows.

Elsewhere countries reduced their capacity by 8GW in the 18 months to June because old plants were retired faster than new ones were built. But over the same period China increased its capacity by 42.9GW despite a global move towards cleaner energy sources and a pledge to limit the use of coal.