Private Indian Firms Look to Build 10 GW of Coal Power Capacity

Following six years of no major private sector coal power capacity buildout, major private Indian power firms are now vying to install at least 10 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired capacity over the next decade, sources with knowledge of the plans have told Reuters.

Major private utilities, including Adani Power, JSW Group, and Essar Power, have told India’s Ministry of Power they are now willing to expand old coal-fired power plants or finish previously mothballed projects, according to the sources and to a government presentation that Reuters has seen.

Private sector firms have expressed interest in investing in coal power, “in line with the energy requirements of the nation,” a spokesperson for the

Ministry of Power told Reuters.   

Since 2018, no major private investment in coal-fired generation has been committed in India. The government had tried in the following years to attract private investment in its coal sector, to ensure stable power supply amid rising electricity demand in the country, which still relies on coal for 70% of its electricity generation.  

Following a coal crunch in 2021 and 2022, India has boosted its coal mining production and prioritized coal by rail deliveries to power generators to ensure security of supply amid soaring electricity demand.

In November 2023, India’s Ministry of Coal said that it aims to produce 100 million tons of coal from underground mines by 2030 as part of a plan to stop coal imports by 2025-2026.  

To meet surging power demand, India also announced at the end of last year it would increase the size of its thermal power fleet by adding another 88 GW of new power capacity by early 2032—63% more than the plan that India published just months ago. Most of the new capacity will be coal-fired power, with gas-fired electricity generation unavailable to India due to the high cost of natural gas.  

India expects to add a large chunk of coal-fired power capacity in 2024, which will be the largest yearly rise in its coal fleet in at least six years.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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