India, the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, may require up to 28 gigawatts of brand-new coal-fired power plants by 2032 to meet power demand, which is predicted to more than double from the country's present 404.1 GW.
The Central Electricity Authority, an advisory body to the federal power ministry, stated in a draught plan released last week that "it is seen that aside from under-construction coal-based capacity of 25 GW,
the additional coal-based capacity required until 2031-32 may vary from 17 GW to around 28 GW."
According to the proposal, India's annual electricity demand might climb by an average of 7.2% from March 2027 to March 2027, which is almost twice as fast as the pace of growth in the fiscal years from 2017 to 2022.
The plan calls for India to build 500 GW of non-fossil based installed capacity by 2030, and estimates that the proportion of coal in the country's overall power generation will fall below 60% by 2027.
India, along with China, produces a significant amount of greenhouse gases, although its per capita energy consumption and emissions are far lower than those of most wealthy nations. India also produces the majority of the additional renewable energy output worldwide.
India may construct new coal-fired plants due to their lower cost, according to a draught electricity policy paper published last year. However, the report did not provide any estimates for the potential construction of how much capacity.