India’s state power giant NTPC Ltd. said it may have to add new coal power capacity to meet the country’s surging demand for electricity, a policy shift triggered by recent energy shortages.
“It’s too early” to talk about a coal phase-out, Gurdeep Singh, chairman at the New Delhi-based power producer, said at the BloombergNEF summit in New Delhi on Wednesday. “It’s going to take 2-3 decades, if not more.”
He said it’s clear that the road ahead leads to a clean energy transition, but cautioned against knee-jerk closures of coal power plants.
“At the end of the day, the first thing we have to look at is whether we’re able to provide 24/7 reliable, affordable power,” Singh said.
