India is set to burn 292 million tonnes (MT) more coal yearly as the country will add 25-30 gigawatt (GW) thermal power on top of 49 GW coal-based units under construction.
About 3.5-4 MT of coal generates 1,000 megawatt (MW) power at 65-75 per cent plant load factor (PLF). With the new plan, total coal usage will increase by 38 per cent, according to a report in the Financial Express (FE).
As of March 2023, coal-based power generation capacity was 212 GW, and it is expected to reach 260 GW by 2030. Across India in FY23, 180 thermal power plants consumed 777 MT of coal, including 55 MT of imported coal.
