Indonesia's Coal-Fired Power Plant Capacity is the 5th Largest in the World

According to Global Energy Monitor data, by the end of the first half of 2023, there were 6,550 coal-fired power plants (PLTU) operating worldwide, with a total capacity of 2,095 gigawatts (GW).

This figure represents the total operating capacity of coal-fired power plants, both government-owned and privately owned, excluding those under construction or inactive.

By the end of the first half of 2023, China had the largest coal-fired power plant capacity, at approximately 1,108 GW.

Indonesia ranked fifth globally with a coal-fired power plant capacity of 45.35 GW.

Other countries with significant coal-fired power plant capacities include India, the United States, Japan, South Africa, Germany, South Korea, Russia, and Poland, with details as shown in the graph.

"Coal-fired power plants are the main source of CO2 emissions in the global energy sector," stated the Global Energy Monitor team in their Boom and Bust Coal 2023 report.

"To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement in limiting global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, reducing the use of coal for power generation is the most important step," they continued.

According to Global Energy Monitor, to meet the Paris Agreement, the group of developed countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) must reduce coal-fired power plant operations with a total capacity reduction of 60 GW per year until 2030.

Then, the group of non-OECD countries, including Indonesia, cumulatively needs to reduce coal-fired power plant operations by 91 GW per year until 2040.

However, Global Energy Monitor assesses that the implementation of these commitments is far from expectations.

"Although there was a decrease in the use of coal-fired power plants in several regions in 2022, the world is currently not on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement," they said.