QAZAQ GREEN.  Global power generation from fossil fuels declined in the first month following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with falling gas-fired generation offset by growth in solar and wind power rather than coal, according to analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

Across countries publishing near-real-time data — covering 87% of global coal generation and over 60% of gas-fired generation — total fossil fuel power output fell 1% year on year. Coal-fired generation was flat while gas dropped 4%. Outside China, the picture was sharper: coal fell 3.5% and gas 4%, while solar generation rose 14% and wind climbed 8%.

China was an exception, with coal generation up 2% in March as coastal plants switched from gas to coal amid high prices. Even so, output remained well below 2024 levels.

Seaborne coal transport volumes also fell — down 3% year on year to the lowest levels since 2021. Shipments to China and India dropped 9%, South Korea 4%, and Turkey and Vietnam by 25–27% respectively.

CREA analysts stress that the data offers little support for the widely circulated "coal comeback" narrative. Coal was already running at near-maximum capacity before the crisis, as its operating costs are lower than gas in all markets. No coal units were returned to service or delayed from retirement in any country during March.

The scale of clean energy deployment puts the crisis in perspective. Solar and wind capacity added in 2025 alone will generate roughly twice as much electricity as all the LNG that passed through the Strait of Hormuz before its closure — around 1,100 TWh per year versus approximately 590 TWh from Hormuz LNG.

The crisis is also accelerating clean energy commitments worldwide. France is preparing a plan to electrify key economic sectors, Turkey has pledged $80 billion in renewable investment by 2035, Indonesia is rolling out 13 GW of solar, and South Korea's president called for a rapid shift to renewables in direct response to the price shock.