NEW DELHI: Renewable energy has got a massive push in India but coal/lignite would still account for about 32% of the country’s estimated installed capacity of 777 GW in 2030 to meet its projected peak demand, showing how the fossil fuel continues to be the mainstay of India’s development-led energy transition.
Though there has been a small decline in the proportion of installed capacity of coal/lignite from about 55% in 1947 to about 50% in 2024), projected share shows that the further decline would be faster in the next around seven years.As estimated by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the scenario would be different when Solar may account for the highest share of 37.6% in total electricity mix whereas solar and wind put together would cross the 50% mark in 2030.
Underlining the CEA’s estimates, a working paper of the think tank ICRIER on ‘decommissioning of coal-based plants in India and its ramification’, released this month, says India needs to add about 276 GW of wind and solar between now and 2030 which is about 40 GW per year whereas what has actually been added is only 9 GW per year if one takes the last 10 years average. The solar and wind capacity as of September 2023 was 116 GW.
As the decision of the G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US – to phase out existing coal-based power plants during first half of 2030s put the spotlight on countries like India where share of coal is quite high in their electricity generation, the ICRIER’s working paper by its visiting fellow Somit Dasgupta on whether to retire or not to retire coal-based plants and pace of its retirement brought a new dimension to the whole debate in India’s context.
The working paper has not only referred to the ground realities, including job losses as the sector provides direct and indirect jobs to 15 million people, but also flagged dismal records in retiring old power plants mainly due to pressure from generators.
In sync with the COP28 (28th session of the UN climate conference in Dubai last year) decision to “transition away from fossil fuels”, the group of seven (G7) rich nations has agreed to phase out of existing ‘unabated’ coal power generation during the first half of 2030s.
It means these countries will now shut down coal-fired power plants by 2030-2035, or on a timeline consistent with the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature limit. The caveat ‘unabated’ is, however, used for those existing plants that don’t do anything to decarbonise them.
Though most G7 countries are already committed to phasing out coal by 2030, the decision taken at their climate, energy and environment ministerial meeting in Italy last month is a major step forward for Japan as it has historically lagged behind its peers in taking action on coal. The country now agreed to phase out the fuel by 2035 at the latest.
The timeline agreed for the first time by them is consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5 degree Celsius of temperature rise by the end of the century from pre-industrial level (1850-1900) within reach – the goal under the Paris Agreement.
In addition, the G7 countries also agreed to achieve the doubling energy efficiency and tripling renewables targets by 2030 as first agreed at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September and then at COP28 in Dubai in December last year.
Though there has been a small decline in the proportion of installed capacity of coal/lignite from about 55% in 1947 to about 50% in 2024), projected share shows that the further decline would be faster in the next around seven years.As estimated by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the scenario would be different when Solar may account for the highest share of 37.6% in total electricity mix whereas solar and wind put together would cross the 50% mark in 2030.
Underlining the CEA’s estimates, a working paper of the think tank ICRIER on ‘decommissioning of coal-based plants in India and its ramification’, released this month, says India needs to add about 276 GW of wind and solar between now and 2030 which is about 40 GW per year whereas what has actually been added is only 9 GW per year if one takes the last 10 years average. The solar and wind capacity as of September 2023 was 116 GW.
As the decision of the G7 countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US – to phase out existing coal-based power plants during first half of 2030s put the spotlight on countries like India where share of coal is quite high in their electricity generation, the ICRIER’s working paper by its visiting fellow Somit Dasgupta on whether to retire or not to retire coal-based plants and pace of its retirement brought a new dimension to the whole debate in India’s context.
The working paper has not only referred to the ground realities, including job losses as the sector provides direct and indirect jobs to 15 million people, but also flagged dismal records in retiring old power plants mainly due to pressure from generators.
In sync with the COP28 (28th session of the UN climate conference in Dubai last year) decision to “transition away from fossil fuels”, the group of seven (G7) rich nations has agreed to phase out of existing ‘unabated’ coal power generation during the first half of 2030s.
It means these countries will now shut down coal-fired power plants by 2030-2035, or on a timeline consistent with the 1.5 degree Celsius temperature limit. The caveat ‘unabated’ is, however, used for those existing plants that don’t do anything to decarbonise them.
Though most G7 countries are already committed to phasing out coal by 2030, the decision taken at their climate, energy and environment ministerial meeting in Italy last month is a major step forward for Japan as it has historically lagged behind its peers in taking action on coal. The country now agreed to phase out the fuel by 2035 at the latest.
The timeline agreed for the first time by them is consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5 degree Celsius of temperature rise by the end of the century from pre-industrial level (1850-1900) within reach – the goal under the Paris Agreement.
In addition, the G7 countries also agreed to achieve the doubling energy efficiency and tripling renewables targets by 2030 as first agreed at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September and then at COP28 in Dubai in December last year.
