New Delhi

Close to 11.5 gigawatts (GW) of coal power capacity under development moved forward through various approval stages in the first five months of 2023, a new analysis by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) and the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said on Tuesday.

India permitted about 3.9 GW of coal projects and 7.6 GW of coal projects received terms of reference, moving them one step closer to permits.

Despite the concerning uptick, the number of projects in development (announced, pre-permit, and permitted coal capacity, including captive and non-captive) has shrunk by a staggering 85 per cent since 2014, from 250 GW to 36 GW.

India’s coal approval spree in 2023 marks a change in India’s energy transition pattern. Last year, India did not approve any new coal power plants for the grid, which was in line with the global trend of moving away from the dirty, expensive, and outdated energy, said GEM research analyst Flora Champenois.

India is actively developing 65.3 GW of coal power capacity. Of this, 30.4 GW of coal power capacity is under construction and 35 GW is in various pre-construction phases (14.4 GW permitted, 11.8 GW pre-permitted, and 8.8 GW announced).

The analysis notes that India’s current proposals overshoot the already significant coal capacity expansion projected in the country’s energy plan.

Based on five-year projections in India’s latest National Electricity Plan (NEP 2023), more than 8 GW of non-captive coal-fired power plant capacity in active construction is unnecessary, and all 34.9 GW of the pre-construction capacity is also not needed.