Abstract: The transformation of coal power needs to balance the requirements between low-carbon development and the ensuring safety supply of the power system. However, the positioning of coal power development and unit characteristics vary across different regions in China, leading to a plethora of distinct pathways in the transformation decision-making process, such as flexibility retrofits, integrated energy services, technology carbon reduction, standby auxiliary service units, and the eventual shutdown of facilities. In view of this, the decision-making of the coal power transformation path was researched from a multi-dimensional perspective. Firstly, a comprehensive evaluation index system for coal power transformation was constructed in terms of resource substitution, environmental impact and regulatory compliance dimensions. Secondly, taking the comprehensive evaluation method and the criteria importance though intercrieria correlation (abbr. CRITIC) method as tools, a comprehensive evaluation of the transformation of 4702 active coal-fired power units in China was performed. Thirdly, the coal-fired power units that need to be transformed were screened out based on the requirement for the installed coal power capacity target--911 million kilowatts by 2035 set in “China's 14th Five-Year Plan for Electricity Development”. The results show that 1,067 units, with a total capacity of 250 million kW are coal-fired power units that need to be transformed before 2035. In terms of regional distribution, coal-fired power units in the southeastern coastal region perform better overall, while coal-fired power units in regions such as northern central and northern China face greater pressure to transform.