At the 2021 United Nations General Assembly, President Xi of China pledged to cease financing and constructing new coal-fired power plants abroad. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has closely monitored this commitment. Their 2023 report reveals that, notwithstanding China's vow to discontinue new coal-fired power projects overseas, there has been notable advancement in bringing coal plants into operation in various countries.

The report identified two new coal power projects that have surfaced following China's 2021 pledge to stop initiating new coal power plants overseas. The first is PT Halmahera Persada Lygend Nickel Smelter Phase III Units 5-8, invested by Ningbo Lygend Resources & Technology and undertaken by China Energy Engineering Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction. The second project is the Weda Bay power station Unit 12, financed by Tsingshan Group and contracted to Henan Province Second Building Engineering Development. The report argues that building new captive power plants goes against China's commitment to stop building new overseas coal power plants and will be detrimental to action on the climate crisis.

In January 2024, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre approached the four companies mentioned above, seeking their responses to the claims presented in the report. However, none of the companies responded.