There is a difference between operational coal plants, ones that are actually operating, and ones that are operating near peak capacity. China is using less than 50% of their installed coal power plant capacity. China’s coal consumption peaked in 2014. They also have so much extra capacity that they put in fuel efficiency standards for coal plants and are mandating older inefficient plants shut down.
China went through a period of coal plant building frenzy in the 00’s were local governments were rewarded for building plants whether they were needed or not. So of course they did. These resulted in plenty of plants they aren’t running and the rest running at far less than nameplate capacity with multiple units shut down. This is no different than the ghost cities that were built and never populated or superhighways to nowhere.
Not the best source but a good summary and they show their work in the footnotes.
https://www.americanprogress.org/iss...l-china-wrong/
https://www.americanprogress.org/iss...ed-power-data/