Coal source methodology for the Global Coal Plant Tracker

Background

This page describes the methodology for classifying the sources of coal used by coal-fired power plants in the Global Coal Plant Tracker (GCPT). Coal sources are categorized into groups with the following definitions:

• Domestic: Coal is mined, processed, and transported within the same country as the coal power plant where the coal is used.
  • Mine-mouth: Some plants that source domestic coal are additionally classified as mine-mouth — a coal power plant whose primary fuel is supplied from a nearby mine without reliance on conventional bulk transportation systems such as rail, barge, or long-distance trucking. Mine-mouth plants often use conveyor belt systems or short truck routes to transport coal.
• Imported: Coal is mined and processed internationally and then transported to the country where the coal plant is located. Imported coal can travel via bulk transportation systems involving shipping terminals, ocean-going vessels, rail, and/or long-haul trucking.

These general groupings for coal sources can imply the relative cost of fuel for coal plants, as transportation costs often increase with distance between the mine and generation facility. In addition, coal power plants that use coal from nearby mines may contribute more to local economies, especially in regions with a sizable and active coal industry. A combination of factors ultimately determine the total cost of coal for a power plant, however, including the type of coal, negotiated power purchase agreements, and international coal prices.

Methodology

Which coal plants are included?

The coal source methodology is applied to coal plants with at least one unit that is operating, in development, mothballed, or shelved (i.e., excludes retired and cancelled units). See the GCPT homepage for information on when coal unit statuses were last updated.

How are coal sources determined?

Imported and domestic classifications were determined from publicly available online sources including government datasets, company financial and annual reports, and news media. When published references were unavailable for a specific power station, coal source classifications were inferred from a combination of sources: satellite imagery showing proximity to belt conveyors, rail, or shipping routes and ports, and/or country- or subnational-level information on coal supplies. A coal plant may have more than one coal source if it uses separate sources at different times or blends coal (e.g., domestic and imported).

Mine-mouth classification:

• Based on a random sample of known mine-mouth coal plants, the GCPT estimated that most mine-mouth plants will be within 10 km of a coal mine. There does not appear to be a recognized standard across countries for designating mine-mouth plants;
• Using coal mine location data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker, mines within 10 km of each coal plant were identified, and the distance between each plant and mines was recorded;
• If a coal mine was found to be within 10 km of a coal plant, the plant was assumed to be “mine-mouth”;
• Mine-mouth plants and mine pairings that were close to the 10 km threshold were reviewed manually to confirm their classification.

Resources on coal sources by country

India

• 2023 document from the Ministry of Power includes a table on domestic and imported coal receipts from 2020–21 to 2023–24.
• 2022 document from the Ministry of Coal includes a table designating pithead (mine-mouth) coal plants.

Indonesia

• As of April 2016, coal-pricing regulations in Indonesia stated that a mine-mouth coal power plant could be no more than 20 km away from its source coal mine.

Türkiye

• 2024 report from the Türkiye Coal Producers Association (Türkiye Kömür Üreticileri Derneği) includes information on domestic coal plants (Table 5) and imported coal plants (Table 6).

United States

• In 2018, documentation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated that mine-mouth coal plants have their coal supply “delivered from a single nearby mine, generally by conveyor belt or using truck transportation.”

• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) form 923 includes information on fuel receipts for operating power plants.

Limitations

• For large countries with distinct coal-producing regions, the “domestic” designation does not capture import-export systems within the country (e.g., China, United States).
• Coal power plants greater than 10 km from a coal mine may be declared mine-mouth by owning companies or governments; similarly, coal plants designated as mine-mouth in the GCPT may not be declared as such by their owner(s). In these cases, mine source classifications may be manually adjusted.
• To report errors in the coal source dataset, please fill out the error report form here.