Greenpeace said 11 coal-fired power plants are under construction in the region, with 11 more planned.

“The cumulative impact of these new power plants on human health is simply shocking," Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner Zhou Rong said.

“The Pearl River Delta region should strictly enforce the policy of no more new coal-fired and oil-fired power plants, as announced in 2009.”

Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying has made cleaning up the city’s skies a priority since air pollution began worsening around 2007.

The issue has become topical in China of late, with high levels of air pollution raising health concerns and igniting a discussion about coal-fired power in a nation historically hungry for the fuel.

According to the report, the 96 existing power plants in the Guangdong region caused nearly 3600 premature deaths and 4000 cases of asthma in children in 2011 due to high concentrations of the fine air particulate PM2.5.

“Simply pushing the construction of power plants to neighboring cities outside the Pearl River Delta region will not solve this problem,” Zhou said.

“All cities of Guangdong and Hong Kong are interdependent in terms of air quality as well as public health.

“The only way to eliminate the health impacts associated with coal burning is to set a clear-cut coal reduction target and to jointly develop renewable energy to meet power demands.”

In early August, the planned construction of a coal-fired plant in Shenzhen was met with strong civil opposition.

The project was eventually cancelled in response to the objections put forward by 43 Shenzhen Municipal People's Congress deputies.

Shenzhen Energy Group has said it will choose another more suitable site outside of Shenzhen for construction.

The Greenpeace research was conducted in conjunction with US air pollution expert Dr H Andrew Gray, the principal of air quality research consulting firm Gray Sky Solutions. Gray has more than 30 years of experience in performing air quality modeling and analyses.