Coal gasification key to India's energy security amid West Asia crisis; Rs 37,500 crore push to speed up projects: Anurag Thakur
New Delhi, June 15
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal Chairman and BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Monday highlighted that coal gasification projects are being fast-tracked to strengthen India's energy security while advancing cleaner energy goals, even as global uncertainties, including the ongoing West Asia crisis, underline the importance of domestic energy resources.
Speaking with ANI after a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal, Thakur said the government is focusing on speeding up approvals and implementation of coal gasification projects, backed by a Rs 37,500 crore incentive package.
"The government has approved Rs 37,500 crore so that coal gasification projects can be implemented quickly and incentives can be provided wherever required. Both the private and public sectors will work on it," Thakur said.
He said the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has taken significant decisions to accelerate clearances for such projects.
"The Environment Ministry has taken very big decisions so that coal gasification can be done quickly, permissions can be obtained faster, and coal can be made available to us in the form of clean energy," he said.
Responding to a question on whether the ongoing West Asia crisis has increased the importance of coal for India, given the country's dependence on imported oil, Thakur stressed the need to balance energy security with climate commitments.
"While we have to ensure the country's energy security, we also have to meet the target of net zero by 2070. India's commitment towards the environment will always remain and we will fulfil the commitments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at both national and international forums," he said.
Thakur noted that renewable energy already accounts for nearly half of India's energy capacity and continues to expand.
"If you look at renewable energy, we have reached almost 50 per cent and we are continuously increasing it. But it is also true that coal is available in very large quantities in India and there is a huge requirement for power generation," he said.
The committee meeting also reviewed coal auction and allocation processes, measures to improve energy security and steps required to achieve the vision of a developed India by 2047.
According to Thakur, discussions focused on streamlining coordination among the coal, environment and power ministries, reducing approval timelines and improving logistics for coal transportation and power generation.
Highlighting progress in environmental clearances, he said the approval period has been significantly reduced.
"Where environmental clearances earlier used to take around 182 days, continuous meetings and reforms have brought it down to nearly 80 days," Thakur said.
He added that India has already achieved a record coal production of one billion tonnes annually and that efforts are underway to further improve efficiency in approvals, production and supply chains.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I understand the need for energy security but coal gasification is still a fossil fuel, no? We should be careful not to use this as an excuse to delay renewable energy targets. But yes, given the West Asia tensions, we need something for the short term. Hope the environmental safeguards are strict. 🤔
Reducing clearance time from 182 to 80 days is good but we need to ensure quality isn't compromised. Coal-bearing areas in Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh have sensitive ecosystems and tribal populations. Gasification is better than burning coal directly, but let's not rush into projects without proper social impact assessments.
As someone living in Delhi with terrible air quality every winter, I'm a bit skeptical about any coal-related project. But if gasification really produces cleaner energy and reduces our dependence on imported oil from volatile regions, maybe it's worth trying. Hope the government also puts equal emphasis on solar and wind. We can't ignore climate change completely.
One billion tonnes coal production is great but we need to see how much of that is actually used for gasification vs just burning. The net zero 2070 target is ambitious, and every step towards cleaner coal matters. West Asia crisis has taught us one thing - energy independence is national security. Good move by the government but need to track results. 🔥
At last a balanced approach! We can't just jump into renewables without baseload power. Our industries need reliable energy 24/
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.