Govt plans greener use of coal, mines

08 Jan 2024 CW Team

India is looking to mechanise coal evacuation processes and use closed mines for purposes such as solar parks even as it's faced with the inevitable prospect of increasing coal production to meet growing demand for energy.

The moves are part of India's energy transition efforts to meet its ambitious climate targets, with environmental sustainability a key theme of the government's ?Vision 2047? programme.

"About 90% of the mechanisation is expected to be done with a capital expenditure of around Rs 30,000 crore, of which around Rs 24,000 crore will be invested by Coal India," said a person familiar with the developments, declining to be identified. The remaining capex is expected to come from the private sector.

Mechanising coal evacuation involves the use of conveyor belts for first-mile connectivity.

Union minister for coal and mines, Pralhad Joshi, chaired a meeting with officials from the ministry to discuss the 'Vision 2047' roadmap.

To encourage greener use of coal, the government is looking at promoting more sustainable practices such as coal gasificiation, which involves turning coal into cleaner fuel gas. The gas can also be used to produce other fuels such as hydrogen, methane, methanol and ethanol.

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