Coal is an important energy resource in India. It is used to produce electricity and it accounts for 55% of India’s total energy consumption.
The Indian state has a long history of investing in coal-based power generation. This will continue in the future, even if renewables are more competitive on the grid.
Origins
The history of coal in India has been a complex one. It is the largest fossil fuel and accounts for almost half of the country’s energy consumption, making it vital for the economic development of the nation.
As India’s economy has grown, the demand for coal has increased as well. By the end of the 1990s, it accounted for around 70 percent of India’s energy consumption.
It was the primary fuel used for industrial production, as well as for heating and transport. It also provided the fuel for coal-fired power plants, which were the main source of electricity in India.
Despite the country’s abundant reserves of domestic coal, the demand for it was growing rapidly. As a result, the government had to encourage investment in new coal mines by providing them with the necessary capital.
However, the increasing demands for coal pushed up prices, leading to increased imports. By the mid-1980s, Indian coal imports had surpassed those produced domestically.
Since then, India has relied heavily on foreign coal to meet its needs for both industrial and domestic use. Currently, the country imports more than 210 million tonnes of coal per year.
The bulk of these supplies are from Indonesia, Australia, and South Africa. These imported coals have a higher calorific value than Indian coal and lower ash content.
As a result, these foreign-produced coals have a much higher price than the local ones. This in turn has prompted Indian mining companies to adopt more expensive methods of mining.
In order to ensure a steady supply of coal, the government has supported the country’s major coal mining companies through subsidies, loans and other incentives. It also provides a number of tax breaks for coal-producing companies, particularly those in the poorest states.
Although coal remains an important part of the energy mix in India, experts believe it will have to be displaced by other sources of energy as renewable energy becomes cheaper and more flexible. It is unclear whether this will happen in the short term or the long term.
Exploration
India has a wealth of coal resources that can be mined to generate low-cost energy for the country. These reserves can be augmented by further exploration, which will enable the nation to meet its growing electricity demand and power industry growth.
In order to determine the potential for a coal deposit, a number of techniques are used to explore it. These include remote-sensing high-resolution seismic (HRSS), well logging geo-engineering investigations, and physico-chemical and physico-mechanical studies.
These methods are used to identify a coal deposit and understand the conditions in which it can be mined. They also provide data about the structure of the coal deposits and the overlying strata.
The coal mining sector has played a significant role in the development of India as a developing country. It is the primary source of income for many people in the country.
Despite this, it remains a controversial topic in India. It is a major contributor to air pollution, and its environmental impact on climate change is a cause of concern for the country.
Coal is a non-renewable resource, meaning that its extraction will eventually lead to depletion of the world’s stocks. It is therefore important to limit its use as much as possible.
This is an issue that a lot of countries are grappling with, and if they fail to take action, it could have serious implications for their economies and the planet. In India, where half of its emissions come from coal burning, it is particularly crucial to make the shift away from this fossil fuel.
However, phasing out coal would be a costly and uncertain transition. It would require a large investment in new technologies and infrastructure, and India hasn’t mastered the science of assessing and pricing the externalities associated with coal.
One way to mitigate this is to focus on renewables, which can produce power for less money and are easier to build than coal-fired plants. This approach has been successful in Australia and the United States.
It is essential for the future of India to develop a sustainable model for mining that respects and supports local communities, especially those affected by coal production. This requires a system of monitoring and rehabilitation for those displaced by mining projects.
Mining
Coal mining is a key part of India’s economy. It provides employment, fuel and electricity for Indian industries. It also provides a steady source of income for the state and local governments.
Despite its many positive aspects, coal mining has negative consequences on the lives and livelihoods of people living in resource-rich areas. The process of mining can cause damage to soil, air and water. It can destroy trees and habitats, contaminate groundwater and kill animals.
The extraction of coal is a major threat to the natural environment, affecting the soil, plants and animals. Opencast mining is particularly hazardous because it destroys land and emits significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
India has one of the world’s largest reserves of coal, which is used for electricity and other industrial purposes. However, coal production in the country is not rising at a healthy pace to meet growing demand.
As a result, India is importing more coal than it produces. It is also allowing more private-sector mining.
In 2017, Coal India, the nation’s largest coal-producing company, announced that it would auction off its mines to private firms. This move was a response to the growing demand for coal and could allow more private companies to access India’s vast reserves.
But allowing more private-sector mining could increase corruption in the industry. It has been alleged that some companies over-produce and under-report their production to increase the company’s profits.
Another concern is that mining can harm the indigenous people of India, who often exercise a moral claim over coal resources. They believe that they have a right to protect their land and resources, and resist mining projects.
According to a study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, indigenous people in Chhattisgarh, India’s largest coalfield, are increasingly being affected by coal mining operations. Activists and researchers have raised concerns about the practices of Adani Group, which has won contracts to expand mining in the region.
As the country’s leaders debate coal mining, it is vital to examine the impact of such activities on the livelihood of people. A holistic approach to understanding the risks and challenges associated with mining can help develop sustainable solutions.
Importance
Coal is a key part of India’s energy security strategy. It is a cheap, clean and sustainable source of energy that can provide a steady supply of electricity and help the country cope with power shortages or shortfalls. It is also a source of employment for millions of Indians, including workers directly and indirectly at coal mines and in related industries.
It is also a valuable resource for the construction of infrastructure. It is the primary energy source for steel and cement, and is used to produce many of India’s industrial chemicals, such as ammonia. It has a high degree of purity and is low in carbon content, making it ideal for use as a power fuel.
However, the country is now facing challenges with its coal supply. The country’s largest mining company, Coal India Ltd (CIL), has struggled to keep up with demand for its thermal coal, which is the main ingredient in power plants.
This has led to a shortage of domestic coal. CIL produces 84 percent of the country’s thermal coal and sells it under fuel supply agreements to power producers.
But the government has been unable to keep up with rising demand and has instead sought to import more coal from abroad to meet shortfalls in domestic supplies, according to officials. Imports increased by nearly 60% to 42 million tonnes in the first eight months of this fiscal year, compared with the year-ago period, data shows.
These problems, combined with rising costs of coal-fired power generation and the growing availability of renewable energy (RE), are contributing to a slowdown in growth for coal-based power. As RE-based capacity increases, the share of coal-fired generation is expected to decline and some plants will face financial distress, experts say.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken steps to encourage more private-sector participation in coal production, and the government has launched an auction process to open 41 mines to commercial mining for the first time. This should bring in more investment and create competition for state-run Coal India, reducing the country’s reliance on imported energy products.
