At the 2021 United Nations General Assembly, China pledged to stop building new coal-fired power plants abroad. Three years later, a new report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and People of Asia for Climate Solutions (PACS) reveals concerning developments in China's overseas coal power projects.

While the report acknowledges that 42.8 GW of projects have been cancelled over the past three years, resulting in avoided emissions of 4.5 billion tonnes, it highlights that 52 power plants with a total capacity of 49.5 GW remain in various stages of development. More worryingly, the report identifies several new coal power projects that have emerged after China's 2021 pledge, raising serious questions about compliance with this commitment.

Of particular concern are three new projects that appear to directly violate the 2021 pledge: the 600 MW Kara-Keche power station Phase 2 in Kyrgyzstan to be constructed by China National Electric Engineering Co. Ltd, the 300 MW Mulungwa power station in Zambia involving Jiangsu Etern Company Limited, and the 600 MW expansion of Zimbabwe's Hwange Power Station by Shandong Dingneng Energy Company. Additional developments include new captive power plants by PT Tianshan Alumina (160 MW) and Xinyi Group (2500 MW) in Indonesia, plus the revival of previously shelved projects such as the Barisal Power Station Unit 2 in Bangladesh, allegedly to be constructed by PowerChina.

In December 2024, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited six companies reportedly involved in new coal power projects and captive power plants mentioned in the report to respond to these findings. Xinyi Glass firmly denies involvement in proposed Indonesian coal power plant, states no agreements or permits exist. The other companies did not respond.