Domestic Coal Production Shields India from Global Price Swings
POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY

Domestic Coal Production Shields India from Global Price Swings

Domestic coal production is shielding India’s economy from global price swings even as pressure on the energy sector persists, Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt said at a stakeholder consultation on Mining for Future in Panjim, Goa. He said the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects gas markets to remain tight through 2027.

Dutt said the past eight months had tested the energy sector. Disruptions to liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies following the conflict in West Asia from late February were offset by coal stocks held at mines and power plants, enabling the government to assure the country of steady electricity supplies.

He said the pressure on energy markets had not eased. Asian spot LNG averaged USD 17.5 per MBtu in Q2, 45 per cent higher than a year earlier, while global coal demand is forecast to reach a record 8.94 bn t in 2026. Dutt said domestic production helped protect the economy from such international price and supply fluctuations.

Domestic demand is also expected to remain strong. NITI Aayog projects that India’s coal demand will rise from about 1.25 bn t in 2025 to more than 2.6 bn t by 2050 under current policies. Even under a net-zero pathway, demand is projected to remain above 1.8 bn t, as steel, cement and power continue to expand as the country’s three largest coal-consuming sectors.

India produced 1.04 bn t of coal in 2025-26, and coal accounts for more than 70 per cent of the country’s electricity generation. Dutt said the ministry’s commitments also covered sustainability, community welfare and technological advancement, with scientific mine closure needed to transform mined-out areas into restored habitats that support ecological recovery, community well-being and long-term social stability.

Domestic coal production is shielding India’s economy from global price swings even as pressure on the energy sector persists, Coal Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt said at a stakeholder consultation on Mining for Future in Panjim, Goa. He said the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects gas markets to remain tight through 2027. Dutt said the past eight months had tested the energy sector. Disruptions to liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supplies following the conflict in West Asia from late February were offset by coal stocks held at mines and power plants, enabling the government to assure the country of steady electricity supplies. He said the pressure on energy markets had not eased. Asian spot LNG averaged USD 17.5 per MBtu in Q2, 45 per cent higher than a year earlier, while global coal demand is forecast to reach a record 8.94 bn t in 2026. Dutt said domestic production helped protect the economy from such international price and supply fluctuations. Domestic demand is also expected to remain strong. NITI Aayog projects that India’s coal demand will rise from about 1.25 bn t in 2025 to more than 2.6 bn t by 2050 under current policies. Even under a net-zero pathway, demand is projected to remain above 1.8 bn t, as steel, cement and power continue to expand as the country’s three largest coal-consuming sectors. India produced 1.04 bn t of coal in 2025-26, and coal accounts for more than 70 per cent of the country’s electricity generation. Dutt said the ministry’s commitments also covered sustainability, community welfare and technological advancement, with scientific mine closure needed to transform mined-out areas into restored habitats that support ecological recovery, community well-being and long-term social stability.

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