GEM Terminology

Project status

Energy projects on GEM.wiki are assigned a "project status" in the "Project details" section of that project's wiki page.

Status of coal-fired power plants

Here are definitions of different statuses assigned to coal-fired power plants.

Announced: Projects that have appeared in corporate or governmental planning documents but have not yet moved actively forward by applying for permits or seeking land, coal, or financing.

Pre-permit development: Projects that have actively moved forward in one or more of the following ways: applying for environmental permits, acquiring land, acquiring coal, acquiring water rights, acquiring transmission arrangements, or securing financing. In India the key criterion for moving a project from "Announced" to "Pre-permit is the existence of a "terms of reference" (TOR) letter by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change. In China, "Pre-permit" means a feasibility study has been completed.

Permitted: Projects that have secured all environmental permits but have not broken ground. In India the key criterion for moving a project from "Pre-permit development" to "Permitted" is the approval of an "environmental clearance" (EC) by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change. In China, "Permitted" means a plant has received a permit from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), allowing for construction, or the equivalent approval at the province level.

Construction: Projects where physical construction (i.e. concrete and steel), not just ground-clearing, a ground-breaking ceremony or early site preparation has begun.

Shelved: Projects where sufficient evidence is found to indicate that a project is no longer moving forward, but not enough to declare it definitively Cancelled. Projects where construction has been put on hold are also considered "Shelved." A project that shows no activity over a period of 2 years is categorized as "Shelved" unless there is evidence to the contrary. A commonly used description for projects shelved for this reason is: "As of [current month and year], the project has not progressed in more than two years, and appears to be shelved."

Cancelled: In some cases a sponsor announces that it has cancelled a project. More often a project fails to advance and then quietly disappears from company documents. A project that was previously in an active category is moved to "Cancelled" if it disappears from company documents, even if no announcement is made. In addition, a plant that shows no activity over a period of 4 years is categorized as "Cancelled," unless there is evidence to the contrary. Projects that are switched to natural gas are considered "Cancelled" as coal plants. A commonly used description for projects shelved for this reason is: "As of [current month and year], the project has not progressed in more than four years, and appears to be cancelled."

Operating: Units that have been formally commissioned or that have entered commercial operation.

Mothballed: Units that have been deactivated or put into an inactive state but are not retired.

Retired: Units that have been permanently decommissioned or converted to another fuel.

Status of coal mines, pipelines, steel plants, and terminals

Energy projects other than coal-fired power plants are described differently in their pre-construction phase. Instead of the "Announced," "Pre-permit development," and "Permitted" statuses, all of these types of projects that have not yet reached "Construction" are categorized as "Proposed."

Common abbreviations:

GW: gigawatt.