G7 Coal Scorecard: 2016 update
Pre-G7 International Symposium:
Climate Change and Energy: Coal-fired power generation

20 May 2016, Tokyo
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Why Coal?
• Coal-fired power generation is single largest sourceof CO2 emissions globally.
• Pollution from coal production and powergeneration is a major cause of poor health andenvironmental damage: coal cannot be ‘clean’.
• Reducing coal use in power generation is quickest
and cheapest way to reduce CO2 emissions.
• Clean technology alternatives are available.
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Reducing coal use is key to meetingclimate change objectives
12000

2013
Source: IEA 450 scenario from World Energy Outlook 2015

2020

10000

2030
2040
Million tonnes CO28000

6000

4000

2000

09781 8983 4368 1536

4632 4579 3851 3028

7097 7510 6770 5354

3678 3458 2689 2220

6458 6948 7194 6639

Coal for power generation

Coal for other

Oil for transport

Oil for otherGas

NOTE: IEA450 Scenario is not in line with Paris Agreement commitment to “holding the increase in the
global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit thetemperature increase to 1.5°C”. So the CO2 reductions shown above will need to be exceeded.
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Why G7?
• G7 members have benefited from using coal.
• As international leaders they have a responsibility toaccelerate action on climate change: both throughtheir domestic efforts and international influence.
• G7 members have different levels of coal use inpower generation. By reducing coal use they canprovide different models for other countries.
• E3G published scorecard report in October 2015 toprovide a benchmark of G7 performance on coal.
• Today: What has happened in past six months?
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G7 Coal: capacity and generation

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Scorecard Components:
market dynamics and government policies
1. Is there a risk of new coal power plants being
constructed?
2. Are existing coal power plants being retired?
3. Do country actions have a positive international
impact?

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October 2015:
G7 Coal Dynamics: 2010-15 and beyond

7Key finding from October 2015:
Japan is isolated among G7 peers• Japan is the only G7 country still seeking to build
new coal power plants• In all other G7 countries the pipeline of new coal
power plant developments has been turned off.
– Germany has some coal power plants finishingconstruction now after being permitted in 2007-09, butthey are all losing money.

• All other G7 countries are considering how to speed
up the closure of existing coal power plants.

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May 2016 update:
G7 Coal Dynamics: 2010-16 and beyond

9What is new since October 2015?
• Total cancelled projects now = 67GW. +4GW
• Total retirements now = 165GW.
+41GW• Retirements charts now include a new category of‘policy commitments’:– UK commitment to Coal Phase Out by 2025
• Policy paper expected soon.
• 4GW of coal power plant capacity already closed in 2016

– Province of Alberta, Canada commitment to Coal Phaseout by 2030
• Alberta is home to half of Canada’s coal plants, and coal iscurrently majority source of electricity generation
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Coal scorecard comparison: Oct 2015

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Coal scorecard comparison: May 2016

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G7 ranking: October 201513

G7 ranking: May 201614

Conclusions• Positive dynamics in favour of a proactive transition
away from coal power generation in 6 of the G7.
• Governments (national, provincial, state) are making
policy commitments that will further acceleratethese trends .
• But Japan remains isolated among its peers.
• Banks and utilities are starting to restrict financeflows and close (or sell) coal power plants.
• Will Japan strictly control its international coalfinance and export credits?
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Many thanks
Chris Littlecott
Programme Leader - Fossil Fuel Transition & CCS
E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism
chris.littlecott@e3g.org
Twitter: @chrislittlecott

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Canada

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FranceE3G18

Germany

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ItalyE3G20

Japan

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UK

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USA

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