Global Energy Monitor

Maps

What do the colored dots mean?

The colors indicate the status category:

  • Announced: Proposed projects that have been described in corporate or government plans or media releases but have not yet taken concrete steps such as applying for permits.
  • Pre-construction: Projects that are actively moving forward in seeking governmental approvals, land rights, or financing.
  • Construction: Site preparation and equipment installation are underway.
  • Shelved: Suspension of operation has been announced, or no progress has been observed for at least two years.
  • Cancelled: A cancellation announcement has been made, or no progress has been observed for at least four years.
  • Operating: The project has been formally commissioned; commercial operation has begun.
  • Mothballed: The project is disused, but not dismantled.
  • Retired: The project has been decommissioned.
How accurate are locations?

Each bioenergy unit location is marked “exact” or “approximate.” In the case of exact coordinates, locations are either specifically identified on a mapping service such as Google Maps, Open Street Maps, etc., or gathered from company or government documentation. If the location of a bioenergy power station or proposal is not known, Global Energy Monitor identifies the most accurate location possible based on available information.

What do the numbers in the circles mean?

The numbers tell the number of units at each location. To find information on each unit, click on the number, then select one of the colored dots.

I’ve zoomed in, but don’t see a power plant. Why?

If a project is still in the pre-operational phases (announced, pre-construction, or construction), there may be no sign of activity. In other cases, only approximate location information could be found. Finally, satellite photos in some geographies are updated infrequently, so recent activity is not shown.

How do I find out if a location is exact or approximate?

Location accuracy improves as plants move from early stages of development toward operation. To find out the coordinates of a location and whether a location is exact or approximate, click on the location dot, select the wiki page, and look under “Project Details.”

Coverage

What bioenergy projects does the tracker include?

The Global Bioenergy Power Tracker tracks utility-scale bioenergy power station units with capacities of 30 megawatts (MW) or more globally. The tracker includes every bioenergy unit at the 30 MW capacity threshold for operating, announced, pre-construction and in-construction power station units. In some cases, units may combust multiple fuel sources in addition to bioenergy. The tracker’s definition of bioenergy draws from the chapter “Bioenergy” in the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (2011).

How do you define capacity?

Capacity is measured in megawatts, and refers to the nameplate capacity of the power station unit.

Can you explain the difference between “units” and “power stations”?

The collection of physical infrastructure that necessarily operates together is defined as a unit. Power stations can consist of one or more units, which may be built and commissioned at nearly the same time or at different times.

What about units that are switching from coal or gas to bioenergy?

The tracker includes coal or gas plants that have announced plans to convert, or are in the process of switching, from coal or gas to bioenergy as a fuel source. These conversions are added as “announced,” “pre-construction” or “construction” in the tracker until the conversion is completed, at which point the status will be changed to “operating.”

Improving the Tracker

What if I find an error or a missing project?

Please fill out our Error Reporting Form here.

Credits

Who built this tool?

The tracker was designed and produced by Global Energy Monitor, a network of researchers seeking to develop collaborative informational resources on fossil fuel impacts and alternatives.

How do I cite this data?

Please refer to the Download Data page for citation guidance.