Govt to increase coal-fired capacity in 2024 by 14 GW: Power Ministry
India will start operating new coal-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 13.9 gigawatts (GW) this year, its power ministry said in a statement to Reuters, the highest annual increase in at least six years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has cited energy security concerns amid surging power demand and low per-capita emissions to defend India’s high dependence on coal. Power generation in 2023 increased by 11.3 per cent, the fastest pace in at least five years.
“In the next 18 months, about 19,600 MW (megawatts of) capacity is likely to be commissioned,” the power ministry said in a statement on Thursday. That will include the 13.9 GW likely to be commissioned this year.
