The Centre is mulling a proposal to halt new coal-based power plants as the country works out a plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, the Economic Times reported.
The business daily citing people with direct knowledge of the matter mentioned that an expert committee tasked by the Union power ministry to update the National Electricity Policy (NEP) has recommended that no new coal-based capacity be considered. Replacement of old coal-based units should only be taken up when it is “convincingly established that it is not viable to meet the projected demand from alternate non-fossil fuel sources”, according to its suggestions, said one of the people aware of the details.
Worth mentioning here is that at the UN climate change summit COP26 in Glasgow last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and also pledged to attain 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
The expert committee’s recommendation is a marked shift from the power ministry’s earlier stance that the country may add more capacity through fossil-fuel sources as they continue to be a cheap source of electricity.
A senior government official said the report submitted by the expert committee in the last week of October is under deliberation. Once the draft policy is prepared, it will be circulated by the ministry among stakeholders for comments, he said.
The committee, headed by Gireesh Pradhan, former chairman of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, framed its recommendations after consulting all stakeholders, including states. The National Electricity Policy lays down the guidelines for the optimal utilisation of resources such as coal, natural gas, nuclear substances, hydro and renewable sources of energy and was last tweaked in 2005. The Electricity Act provides for its periodic revision.
“With growing penetration of renewable energy, about 60 GW of thermal capacity under construction and average thermal PLF (plant load factor) around 55%, we certainly do not need any more thermal,” the publication quoted Association of Power Producers director general Ashok Khurana as saying. “As power demand increases, our first priority should be to get stranded coal and gas projects on stream.”
