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India has consistently maintained a firm stance on coal, asserting its critical importance for energy security and national development.
However, energy experts and environmental advocates are increasingly urging India to prioritize decarbonization or emissions reduction from its coal-fired power plants, even if a complete phase-out is not immediately feasible.
“You can’t wish away coal,” stated Ashok Lavasa, former secretary of union ministries of finance, and environment, forest and climate change, at a recent event on July 1st.
“The question is, if coal is king, then can it be a benevolent king?” he posed.
This suggests that, realistically, coal – perhaps cleaner coal technologies – may remain India’s primary energy source, despite ongoing international climate negotiations advocating for a complete phase-out of the highly polluting fossil fuel.
Why has India – the world’s third-largest carbon emitter – opted to continue relying on coal? The nation faces international obligations to significantly reduce its carbon emissions, alongside its own ambitious target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
One key factor is the country’s escalating power demands.
India’s electricity demand surged by over 9% between 2021 and 2025, surpassing an earlier projection of 6.6%, and is now expected to double by 2030.
Coal-fired power plants have consistently generated more than 70% of the total electricity supply annually since the early 2000s – a proportion that has remained largely unchanged.
However, this reliance on coal carries a significant environmental cost.
Estimates indicate that electricity generation in India accounts for over 40% of the country’s annual carbon emissions – with nearly three-quarters of that electricity originating from coal combustion.
While India has made strides in expanding its renewable energy capacity, which now contributes 46% of the total installed capacity, these sources have inherent limitations. They generate electricity intermittently, dependent on sunlight and wind conditions.
Even during daylight hours, experts note that renewable energy supply can fluctuate, whereas thermal power plants provide a consistent and reliable source of electricity, capable of meeting peak demand in the evenings and at night.
Furthermore, India’s energy storage capacity – the ability to store excess electricity generated from renewables during the day – has not kept pace with the expansion of renewable energy resources.
“This means that there is no other option [other than thermal energy for constant supply] unless and until we have large-scale storage quantities in the system,” said Rajiv Porwal, director with Grid India, the grid controller of India under the ministry of power, at the July 1st event organized by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
Experts emphasize that a consistent supply from thermal plants is crucial for the stability of the electricity grid, the network of towers and transmission lines that delivers power from power plants to consumers.
“Any large mismatch of demand and supply will destabilize the grid and that can mean power-cuts and blackouts, similar to what we recently saw in Spain,” explained Anjan Kumar Sinha, an independent power sector expert.
Considering these factors, India is focusing on reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants rather than pursuing a complete phase-out of coal.
A recent report by the CSE suggests that decarbonization efforts targeting coal-based thermal plants alone could reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.
This is particularly significant given India’s commitment to reduce its emissions intensity (carbon emissions produced per unit of economic output) by 45% by 2030 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
However, challenges remain.
One common issue faced by thermal plants is the requirement to maintain a minimum operating capacity of at least 55%, even during daylight hours when renewable energy sources like wind and solar power are available.
This is because operators cannot rapidly ramp up capacity to full output on short notice, especially during peak evening hours when renewable energy supply diminishes.
Experts emphasize the urgent need to enhance the efficiency of thermal plants, enabling them to operate at lower capacity levels.
“How low can we go [to bring down the minimum running level threshold] is the question,” said Ramesh Veeravalli, a member of India’s Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, speaking at the event. “Technically it is possible.”
Another approach to improving plant efficiency involves adopting technologies that capture carbon dioxide emissions, preventing their release into the atmosphere.
However, some argue that this technology has yielded limited results, with estimates from the World Resources Institute suggesting that it currently captures only about 0.1% of global emissions.
A third suggestion involves utilizing agricultural residue as a substitute for coal in thermal plants.
“This idea has led to a substantial reduction in coal usage in thermal power plants in Delhi and surrounding cities,” said Parth Kumar, a programme manager with CSE, which has proposed methods for reducing emissions in its recent report.
“But other parts of the country are yet to adopt this seriously, even though regulation requires them to,” he added.
Experts contend that reducing emissions from coal-fired power plants will necessitate broader systemic changes, involving substantial costs.
However, the precise cost and the allocation of financial responsibility remain complex questions without immediate answers.
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