Beijing, China - Major Chinese coal projects that began construction in 2024 may jeopardize the country's goal to reach its peak carbon emissions by 2030, a new report suggests.

While coal has been a vital energy source for China over the last few decades, massive investment in wind and solar energy has raised hopes that Beijing can hit its 2030 targets and wean itself off fossil fuels.

A report from the Finland-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air and Global Energy Monitor in the US has thrown doubt over China's commitment to climate change action due to a series of massive coal construction projects.

The projects account for about 94.5 gigawatts of coal-based power, the equivalent of 93% of the globe's current coal construction projects.

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This addition to coal-based power was cemented in during the final months of 2024, despite an 83% decline in new coal power project permits during the first half of the year.

"China's rapid expansion of renewable energy has the potential to reshape its power system, but this opportunity is being undermined by the simultaneous large-scale expansion of coal power," said Qi Qin, lead author of the report

"Without urgent policy shifts, China risks reinforcing a pattern of energy addition rather than transition, limiting the full potential of its clean energy boom," the report said.