The Union government has approved coal allocation to Madhya Pradesh for the establishment of thermal power plants with a combined capacity of 4,100 MW, an official confirmed on Thursday. This marks the first approval by the high-level inter-departmental committee after five years. The proposal, sent by the state's energy department, was based on the growing power demand in Madhya Pradesh.

In 2019, the Centre had approved coal allocation for fossil fuel plants with a combined capacity of 1,360 MW, the official noted.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the coal allocation and instructed the state's energy department to begin tendering for the power plant projects.

Neeraj Mandloi, Additional Chief Secretary of the state’s Energy Department, stated that the 4,100 MW coal-fired plants would attract an investment of Rs 25,000 crore and generate significant direct and indirect employment.

The coal allocation will help Madhya Pradesh maintain self-sufficiency in power generation, ensuring affordable and reliable energy for consumers, industries, and farmers. The state's existing thermal energy capacity is 4,570 MW, according to government data.