India aims for 307 GW coal capacity by 2035, with no immediate plans to expand further, focusing on clean energy integration and grid stability
NEW DELHI: India does not have any immediate plans to add coal power generation capacity beyond 2035, a top power ministry official said on Sunday.
“India wants to secure its energy requirements,” Pankaj Agarwal, secretary at the power ministry told Reuters on the sidelines of a power ministry event. “As on 2035, we want to have a coal capacity of 307 gigawatts.”
He said it would be “premature to say what we want to do beyond 2035”.
India this year proposed increasing its coal power capacity by 46% from the current 210 GW while doubling its non-fossil fuel capacity of 500 GW by 2030. Agarwal said the coal power plans are in line with the country’s energy requirements.
India, facing grid challenges due to the integration of surplus clean energy into the grid, has curbed power output for most months this year.
Agarwal said the country may take a call on adding more coal capacity after taking three years to understand how power demand is growing and the speed of integration of clean energy into the grid.
India should also evaluate grid challenges and the cost of storing excess clean energy in batteries and sending it to the grid before taking decisions on adding more coal capacity beyond 2035, he said.
India’s coal-fired generation, which typically accounts for about 75% of electricity output, has fallen on an annual basis in seven of the 11 months this year, the most since 2020 as temperate weather reduced cooling demand.
Still, several Indian utilities are signing long-term contracts with coal-fired power generators to meet a projected surge in evening demand. – Reuters
