Countries keep burning coal because electricity demand can grow faster than new clean power, while existing plants, grids and industries cannot be replaced overnight. Governments also weigh reliability, fuel security, costs and jobs in coal-dependent regions. Having cleaner power sources available is not the same as having enough electricity, transmission, storage and flexibility to meet demand whenever and wherever it is needed.
Why does coal use continue as clean power expands?
Electricity demand is growing in many countries. If demand rises faster than wind, solar, hydro and other low-emissions sources can supply it, coal plants may keep running—or run more—even while clean generation grows. Weather can widen that gap: heat waves raise demand for cooling, while drought can reduce hydropower output.
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China illustrates how these trends can coincide. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that China’s electricity demand rose 7%, or more than 550 TWh, in 2024, while coal-fired generation increased 1.2%. The figures describe different measures: demand is the electricity needed, while generation is the electricity produced by coal plants. They do not mean clean power failed to expand.
In its 2025 review of 2024, the IEA reported global coal demand grew 1.2%, equivalent to around 67 million tonnes of coal equivalent. Global coal-fired generation reached 10,700 TWh, but coal supplied 35% of electricity—the lowest share since the IEA was founded in 1974. Coal use can therefore grow in absolute terms even as its share of the electricity mix declines. IEA Global Energy Review 2025
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Why can’t countries switch to renewables faster?
Electricity systems need more than generating capacity
A power system must deliver electricity at the time and place it is needed. Replacing coal therefore means replacing not just its annual output, but also arranging for supply during demand peaks and periods when weather-dependent generation is low. That calls for enough clean generation alongside stronger transmission grids, storage and flexible ways to balance supply and demand.
The IEA identifies rapid growth in clean generation and system-wide improvements in efficiency as central to cutting coal use and emissions. Its transition analysis also highlights grids, storage and flexibility as parts of maintaining electricity security as the generation mix changes. These are infrastructure and coordination challenges, not proof that renewables cannot provide reliable power. IEA, Coal in Net Zero Transitions IEA, World Energy Outlook 2024 IEA, Electricity 2024
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Plants, grids and industries are built around existing systems
Coal power plants are long-lived assets, and the wider electricity system has been planned around them. Closing plants requires replacement generation and the infrastructure to connect and balance it. Industrial facilities also rely on established equipment and processes; changing those systems takes investment and time.
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Where domestic coal is available, governments may view it as a way to limit exposure to imported fuels or disruptions in supply. The IEA notes that high natural-gas prices during the global energy crisis led to temporary increases in coal use in some countries. That does not make coal universally cheaper: costs depend on the country, plant, fuel supply and time period, and the reviewed figures do not establish a comparable total system cost for every country.
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Coal is used for more than electricity
Electricity generation accounts for about two-thirds of global coal consumption, according to the IEA. Industry uses much of the rest, including in steelmaking, cement, chemicals and other production. Cutting coal-fired electricity alone will not eliminate industrial coal use; those sectors need their own technologies, investment and policies.
The climate consequences are substantial. The IEA estimated that coal produced 15 gigatonnes (Gt) of energy-related CO₂ in 2021. This is a dated 2021 figure, not a current-year estimate. IEA, Coal in Net Zero Transitions
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- What You Get: 1* Jackery Explorer 300 Portable Power Station, 1*40W Air Solar Panel, 1* AC Adapter, 1* Car Charger Cable, 1* User Guide. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲
Why does the picture differ between countries?
Coal demand is not moving in one direction everywhere. The IEA’s 2025 review found that developing Asia accounted for nearly four-fifths of global coal demand in 2024. China’s coal demand grew 1.2%, India’s grew about 5.5%, and Southeast Asia’s coal consumption rose almost 8%. In advanced economies, demand has fallen substantially from its 2007 peak; EU coal-fired power generation fell 15% in 2024.
These numbers describe different geographies and, in some cases, different measures. Coal demand, coal-fired generation and coal’s share of electricity are not interchangeable. The IEA attributed much of the increase in global coal power generation in 2024 to record temperatures and cooling demand, especially in China and India; hydropower output and broader economic conditions also affect the annual mix. IEA Global Energy Review 2025
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A useful comparison asks the same questions of each country:
- Demand: Is electricity use growing, and how quickly?
- System readiness: Are clean generation, transmission, storage and flexibility expanding fast enough to serve that demand?
- Dependence: Is coal domestic or imported, and how deeply is it embedded in power plants and industry?
- Local exposure: How much do particular communities depend on mining and coal-related activity?
- Trend and timeframe: Is coal use rising or falling, and do the figures refer to the same year and measure?
Why are coal transitions difficult for workers and communities?
The economic impact of a transition can be concentrated in mining regions even when coal mining is a small part of national employment. In its 2022 analysis, the IEA said mining accounts for less than 1% of employment in typical national cases, but around 5–8% in some coal-intensive regions, including Shanxi in China, East Kalimantan in Indonesia and Mpumalanga in South Africa. Those regional figures do not describe every coal community.
Transition policies can include retraining, clean-energy investment, support for local economic diversification, regulation, financial incentives and market-based measures. These are options, not guarantees; outcomes depend on how policies are designed and whether new opportunities reach affected workers and places. IEA, Coal in Net Zero Transitions IEA, World Energy Outlook 2024
What would make coal use fall faster?
The IEA’s analysis points to a combination rather than a single replacement: build clean generation at scale, improve energy efficiency, expand and strengthen grids, add storage and flexibility, and address coal use in industry as well as electricity. Transition plans also need to account for workers and local economies. How quickly this happens depends on each country’s demand growth, infrastructure, fuel position and economic exposure.
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