Coal has been a pivotal energy source in China for decades but explosive growth in wind and solar installations in recent years has raised hopes that the country can wean itself off the dirty fossil fuel.

Coal accounts for around half of China's power generation, down from three-quarters in 2016.

Yet the country brought 21 gigawatts (GW) of coal power online in the first six months of this year, the highest first-half total since 2016, the report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said.

China also began or restarted construction on coal projects totaling 46 GW -- equivalent to the total coal power in South Korea -- and launched another 75 GW-worth of proposed new and revived coal power projects.

The growth threatens China's goal to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and risks solidifying coal's role in its power sector, the report said.

The world's second-largest economy is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases that drive climate change, but it is also a renewable energy powerhouse.

"Coal power development in China... shows no sign of easing, leaving emissions on a high plateau and stranding coal in the system for years to come," said Christine Shearer, research analyst at GEM and co-author of the report.

More coal could come online soon because a "huge pipeline of already permitted (coal) projects remains" from a spike in new permits in 2022 and 2023 when China's electricity grid struggled to adapt to renewables growth, according to Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA.

"Since then, better grid operation and storage have addressed those issues, while the coal power projects approved at the time are still under construction," he said.

The latest coal boom comes despite China's rapidly expanding renewable power generation now covering the country's electricity demand growth.

China installed 212 GW of solar capacity in the first half of the year, a new record and more than the total solar power installed in the United States as of the end of 2024.

It is on track to install enough clean power -- from solar, wind, nuclear, and hydro -- in 2025 to meet the entire electricity demand of Germany and Britain combined. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged in 2021 to "strictly control" coal power projects and coal consumption growth before "phasing it down" between 2026 and 2030.

Yet only 1 GW of coal power was retired in the first half of 2025, the report said, leaving the country well short of its target to retire 30 GW between 2020 and the end of this year.

"Powerful coal interests" continue to push for projects, said Qi Qin, lead author of the report and China analyst at CREA.

"Even though coal's share of capacity is declining, long-term contracts and broad capacity payments keep many plants running at high output."

This risks new coal projects "crowding out the space renewables need to grow", she said.

China is likely to announce new emissions and energy goals in the coming months when it releases details of its 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026 to 2030.

Xi said in April that the country would announce its 2035 greenhouse gas reduction commitments, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), before COP30 in November.