Introduction: Current Status of Coal
One of the most important steps that India needs to take to get to Net Zero emissions is stopping the use of fossil fuels or at least stop building new coal power stations and new oil and gas wells. Even though India has committed to net zero by 2070, India is still continuing to expand coal production. In fact, India’s coal production capacity of 200 GW is 11% of global capacity of coal. According to predictions by CEA (Central Electricity Authority), India’s coal production is expected to go from 202 GW in 2021 to 266 GW by 2029-30. In the next 5 years, India plans to increase coal capacity by 35 GW which is a 17% increase in coal capacity, which needs to be stopped. At the same time, according to the National Electricity Plan 2018, India is planning to reduce coal capacity by 48 GW between 2017 and 2027, which includes retiring coal power plants that are older than 25 years old. Retiring old coal plants will help to meet the net zero goal especially as they have low efficiency and higher emission. India needs proper planning for the future of coal power as there is contradicting information from the Central Electricity Authority and the National Electricity Plan 2018. In addition, India only met 50% of its targeted coal power plants capacity plan in 2019–20, and 30 of 34 thermal projects and 18 of 24 transmission projects were delayed over the last 20 years. This suggests mismanagement of India’s current coal power plants and future coal production. The current mismanagement and lack of proper long-term future plan of transition to renewable energy will slow down India’s Net Zero plans and 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy by 2030.
Why is Transition from Coal Difficult and How will India Transition?
For India, transition from coal to renewable energy is a very difficult process. Currently, coal makes up almost 70% of power supply in India. The population of the country is growing, along with it, electricity consumption is also growing. This further puts stress on coal production. In addition, the coal sector employs coal workers directly and indirectly. Entire cities built around coal, which is a legacy fuel in India. The shift to renewable energy is not easy as it will lead to the dismantling of the coal production system in entirety. In addition, the current electric grid system will not work for solar energy as the energy is not as continuous and grids are not prevalent all over the country. Therefore, micro-grids with smaller solar panels may be a solution along with expanding the current grid and battery technology. However, this is a long-term project that will take time, which makes building new coal power stations much easier than switching to renewable energy. At the same, to fight climate change moving away from coal is essential and therefore, there needs to be a clear transition plan from coal to renewable energy.
How to Transition
According to Chandra Bhushan, CEO of iForest, 120 districts in India are coal dependent and 60 of these districts will not be producing coal in the next decade. In the coal districts, there are direct workers, informal workers, and indirect workers. There are also other indirect workers in surrounding districts that are dependent on coal, in addition to other industries that are reliant on coal. Therefore, the transition to renewable energy needs to lead to new jobs in these districts and cities - one such way to do this is through transitioning into a green city with new jobs in renewable energy, tech-based jobs, and other jobs in the green sector through training and education. Another method to support the lives, livelihoods and health of coal workers is through a carbon tax which provides direct income support, not indirect through corporations. A carbon tax can also be used in other parts of the transition such as building solar panels for renewable energy. In addition, during the transition, there will need to be ecosystem restoration in coal mining areas. This includes dealing with the by-products of coal production such as fly ash (a toxic air pollutant that releases heavy metals when in contact with water), which can be done using the Fly Ash Utilisation Policy. The Fly Ash Utilisation Policy mandates that only fly ash can be used within 100 km of a coal plant and must be used in 3-5 years. It is clear that a holistic systematic change is needed not just for companies, workers, or Coal India but for coal cities and districts as a whole to fight climate change.
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