In a major boost to fight climate change, India has planned to stop building new coal-fired power plants by removing a key clause from the final draft of its National Electricity Policy (NEP), reported Reuters. However, the projects that are already in the pipeline will be completed. The 28.2 GW of coal-based power project that are in various stages of construction would not be affected
As per Reuters, the draft, if approved by the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would make China the only major economy open to fresh requests to add significant new coal-fired capacity.
Currently, India & China account for about 80% of all active coal projects. Most developing nations are bringing down the capacity to meet climate targets. According to an independent climate think tank E3G, as of January 2023, only 20 countries have more than one coal project planned.
A government source told Reuters, "After months of deliberations, we have arrived at a conclusion that we would not need new coal additions apart from the ones already in pipeline".
India had been staunchly against setting a timeline to phase out coal, citing low per-capita emissions, surging renewable energy capacity and demand for inexpensive fuel sources. Hence, in 2021, India released a first draft of the NEP that proposed ighter technology standards to reduce pollution.
Meanwhile, China plans to build some 100 new coal-fired power plants to back up wind and solar capacity.