India to increase coal-fired capacity by 14 GW in 2024

• 3 months ago (2024-02-02)
• David Flin

Asia 850 Coal 275

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India will start operating new coal-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 13.9 GW in 2024, according to India’s Power Ministry. This represents the highest annual increase in six years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited energy security concerns to defend India’s high dependence on coal. Power generation in 2023 increased by 11.3 per cent.

The 2024 capacity increase will be more than four times the annual average in the last five years. Coal-fired output rose 14.7 per cent during 2023, outpacing renewable energy, which rose by 12.2 per cent.

The Ministry of Power has said that it anticipates building at least 54 GW of coal-fired power capacity over the next eight years, in addition to the 26.4 GW currently under construction.