Türkiye and Australia are pursuing new coal projects as they prepare to lead next month’s COP31 climate talks in Antalya, casting doubt on their climate leadership credentials, according to German-based environment and human rights nonprofit Urgewald.
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The group’s latest Global Coal Exit List, (GCEL) a database covering more than 2,700 coal industry parent companies and subsidiaries, highlights Türkiye’s plans for additional coal-fired power capacity and Australia’s pipeline of new mines and extensions. Türkiye will host the summit, while Australia will lead the negotiations.
Türkiye ranks 21st globally for coal-fired power capacity planned or under construction, followed by Australia, according to the database. Türkiye will host the summit, while Australia will lead the negotiations.
Although their coal power expansion plans are smaller than those of leading developers China, India and Indonesia, they raise questions about the two countries’ credibility in steering the talks, said Heffa Schücking, Director of Urgewald.
At COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, countries agreed for the first time to accelerate efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and the phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.
Urgewald argued that the two hosts’ continued pursuit of coal expansion runs counter to that commitment.
“Instead, both countries seem determined to keep the door open for new coal projects. This naturally has implications for how they will lead the climate negotiations in Antalya. Neither Türkiye nor Australia are credible advocates for decisive climate action as long as they don’t practice at home what they preach on the world stage,” Schücking told Eco-Business.
Earlier, COP31 President-designate Murat Kurum did not specify transitioning away from fossil fuels as a key item in his action agenda, although noted that it was just “as important” as other parts of the agenda like electrification, waste, cities, food, oceans and climate finance.
Previous summit hosts have also faced scrutiny over their fossil fuel policies. COP30 host Brazil was criticised for approving exploratory oil drilling off the Amazon coast shortly before the summit, while COP29 host Azerbaijan faced a backlash over its gas expansion plans, and an undercover investigation showing a senior summit official discussing potential fossil fuel deals.
COP28 host the United Arab Emirates faced criticism over its oil and gas expansion plans and its appointment of Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive of state oil company ADNOC, as summit president. Campaigners and lawmakers argued that his dual roles created a conflict of interest, with ADNOC pursuing a US$150 billion expansion strategy.
Egypt’s COP27 presidency faced accusations of giving fossil fuel producers favourable treatment during negotiations, which it denied. Ahead of COP26 in Glasgow, environmental groups accused the UK government of hypocrisy for considering approval of the Cambo oilfield.
A test of electrification agenda
Türkiye’s push to make electrification central to COP31 is the transcontinental country and Australia, which will lead the negotiations, pursue coal expansion projects, according to Urgewald.
In his last action plan released in August, Kurum presented electrification, renewable energy, efficiency and power sector decarbonisation as central to the conference’s clean energy agenda.
Although the plan did not contain any explicit pledge or proposed commitment to phase out or phase down fossil fuels, it underscored the presidency’s preference for voluntary, non-prescriptive implementation targets – most notably lifting electricity’s share of final energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035.
But Urgewald data showed that coal supplied 34 per cent of Türkiye’s electricity in 2025, compared with 22 per cent from wind and solar combined. The country also provides more than €2.4 billion (US$2.6 billion) annually in coal subsidies, raising questions about how far electrification can cut emissions without a shift away from coal.
“Electrification without phasing out coal is like showering with polluted water,” said Urgewald’s Schücking.
Türkiye remains committed to expanding the Afşin-Elbistan power station, with the environment ministry, led by Kurum, appealing a court ruling that overturned the environmental impact assessment for new units. Cengiz Holding subsidiary Cenal Elektrik has also proposed a 1,050-megawatt expansion in Çanakkale, drawing community opposition over pollution and dependence on imported coal.
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Neither Türkiye nor Australia are credible advocates for decisive climate action as long as they don’t practice at home what they preach on the world stage.
Heffa Schücking, Director, Urgewald
Australia, meanwhile, has the world’s third-largest pipeline of thermal coal mining projects, with 49 proposed mines or extensions, including 20 greenfield developments, Urgewald said.
Among them is the Hunter Valley Operations Continuation Project, which received New South Wales approval on September 30. The Yancoal Australia–Glencore joint venture would extend mining until as late as 2045 and allow approximately 429 million tonnes of coal to be extracted. Federal approval is still required.
Although Australia backed a fossil fuel transition roadmap at COP30, it remains among the few OECD countries without a coal phase-out date, Urgewald said.
“The real proof of Australia’s climate leadership is not in its speeches at COP31, but in its actions at home,” Schücking said.
China and India dominate coal expansion
China and India remain the main drivers of global coal expansion, accounting for 88 per cent of planned coal-fired power capacity and nearly two-thirds of thermal coal mine expansion projects identified by Urgewald’s GCEL report.
Chinese companies account for 70 per cent of the global coal power pipeline, followed by Indian companies with 18 per cent. The remaining 12 per cent is spread across 33 countries, including Türkiye.
Globally, 335 companies are planning 606 coal-fired power projects with a combined capacity exceeding 740 gigawatts, about four times the size of the existing US coal power fleet. China Energy Investment Group is the largest developer, with plans for 44 GW of new capacity.
China and India also account for 251 and 218, respectively, of the 715 thermal coal mine expansion projects identified worldwide. Coal India, the world’s largest thermal coal producer, leads mine development, with planned additional production capacity of up to 552 million tonnes annually.
Across 39 countries, planned mining projects would add at least 3.27 billion tonnes of annual production capacity, equivalent to 41 per cent of current global thermal coal output.
While electricity generation drives most of this expansion, the coal-to-chemicals industry is an increasingly important source of demand in both countries. In China, the number of planned coal-to-chemicals projects rose from 42 to 76 over the past year, spurring proposals for additional mines.
