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Analysing countries that disclose near-real-time electricity data, CREA found that coal-fired generation was flat in March globally, falling by 3.5 per cent outside of China<\/a>, where it rose by a modest two per cent as some plants switched from gas to coal. <\/p>\n Seaborne coal transport volumes, meanwhile, fell by three per cent globally, bringing them to their lowest level since 2021, the height of the Covid pandemic.<\/p>\n Total fossil fuel<\/a> power generation fell by one per cent compared with the previous year, with gas-fired generation falling by four per cent.<\/p>\n The analysis covers the world\u2019s largest power markets \u2013 China, the US, the EU and India, among others \u2013 which account for around 87 per cent of global coal power and more than 60 per cent of gas-fired power generation.<\/p>\n Renewables are helping to buffer the energy crisis<\/p>\n This happened despite a major global energy crisis caused by the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> blockade.<\/p>\n The blockade of the key oil and gas shipping route has disrupted fuel supplies and sent prices skyrocketing. Renewables have played a significant role in cushioning the impact \u2013 with solar alone saving Europe \u20ac3 billion<\/a> in March.<\/p>\n Solar power generation rose by around 14 per cent last month, while wind energy<\/a> was up approximately eight per cent in the countries analysed.<\/p>\n Prior to its closure, the Strait of Hormuz was used for almost a fifth of global Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) transports, which CREA estimates is enough to produce power equivalent to France’s annual electricity generation.<\/p>\n But the solar<\/a> and wind power capacity added globally in 2025 alone is enough to offset this twice over, according to CREA.<\/p>\n Why hasn\u2019t there been a \u2018coal comeback\u2019?<\/p>\n Similar predictions of a \u2018coal comeback\u2019 arose after Russian gas exports<\/a> to Europe fell following the country\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. <\/p>\n These bore out initially but the long-term outcome of the crisis was a sharp acceleration in clean energy and a record fall in Europe\u2019s coal use and CO2 emissions in 2023, CREA says.<\/p>\n Following the Hormuz effective closure, coal-fired power generation fell most sharply in the US, India, the EU, T\u00fcrkiye and South Africa in March, according to CREA. This is largely because coal was cheaper to run than gas even before the crisis, meaning remaining plants were already heavily utilised, leaving little room to ramp up further.<\/p>\n While some nations have announced plans to reopen, delay the closure of, or increase the use of coal-fired power plants in response to the energy supply crisis, the gradual phaseout of coal plants<\/a> in many countries means they would struggle to increase production quickly. In fact, no coal plants were returned to service or had their closure delayed in any country in March, according to CREA.<\/p>\n The economic case for investing in coal is only weakening as the energy crisis<\/a> pushes up transport costs, making it more expensive than generating and storing renewable energy, CREA argues.<\/p>\n Europe is already taking heed, with France<\/a> and the United Kingdom<\/a> among the countries accelerating electrification, heat pumps and solar to cut reliance on imported fuels. Similar moves worldwide signal that energy security is increasingly tied to renewables rather than fossil fuels.<\/p>\n