The Minister of State for Power, Shripad Yesso Naik, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Thursday said that the percentage contribution of renewables in the nation’s primary energy mix is rising whereas the share of coal is decreasing, however, it will increase on an absolute tonnage basis. Although, some mines may have closed down due to the exhaustion of reserves but many new coal mines are being operationalised to meet the growing energy demand.
These mines will not only ensure affordability and energy security of the nation but will also provide new opportunities for employment and redeployment of workers and at the same time generate indirect employment opportunities in the coal sector.
The minister stated, that as the economy continues to grow and access to affordable electricity becomes more widespread, the coal sector will remain a crucial source of energy in India. Despite a growing push towards renewable energy, coal is projected to remain as a prominent source of energy for providing affordable and reliable electricity to consumers.
The minister also informed the Parliament that the Central Electricity Authority has issued an advisory on 20 January 2023 and 7 July 2023 to all the Thermal Power Utilities not to retire or repurpose their coal-based power stations before 2030 and to ensure the availability of thermal units after carrying out renovation and Modernisation (R&M) activities, if required, considering the expected energy demand scenario in future.
Further, electricity generation is a delicensed activity as per Section-7 of the Electricity Act, 2003 and phasing out/retirement of units are decided by Power Generating Utilities/Companies based on their own techno-economic, energy demand and environmental reasons.
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