India Needs To Add 80 GW Coal-Based Capacity By 2030 To Meet Demand: Minister
India is facing a pressing need to boost its thermal coal-based power generation capacity by a substantial 80 GW, according to statements made by Union Power Minister RK Singh during a recent review meeting. Presently, only 27 GW of such capacity is under construction. The urgency is underscored by the minister’s projection that the country’s peak power demand is poised to escalate from the current 241 GW to a staggering 335 GW by the year 2030.
The review meeting, which saw the virtual and physical participation of independent power producers and state-owned generators such as NTPC, SJVN, NHPC, DVC, THDCIL, and NLCIL, also included the involvement of energy secretaries from 13 major states. This collaborative effort aimed to address the growing energy demands faced by the nation.
Minister Singh emphasized that relying solely on the expansion of renewable energy capacity would not suffice to meet the surging electricity demands. Despite India’s ambitious target of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, Singh argued that coal-based thermal power capacity addition is indispensable to prevent potential outages in the country’s power supply.
Singh further highlighted the critical role of viable and scalable energy storage in facilitating the transition to renewable energy. He expressed skepticism that renewable sources alone could adequately address the rising electricity demand, emphasizing the necessity of incorporating coal-based thermal power into the energy mix.
In his address, Minister Singh also critiqued what he perceived as hypocrisy in the stance of developed countries regarding renewable energy. He pointed out that while India is striving to transition to cleaner sources, developed nations, which often advocate for renewable energy, still heavily depend on fossil fuels, with 75 percent of their energy coming from such sources.
Singh concluded by underscoring India’s comparatively low per capita emissions, stating that the West’s lecturing on renewable energy stands exposed given their own reliance on fossil fuels. The central message conveyed was that, until viable energy storage solutions are in place, coal-based thermal power remains a crucial component of India’s energy strategy to meet the escalating power demand and avoid disruptions in the country’s power supply.
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