India reaches halfway mark of no new coal: Analysis

States and companies that cumulatively operate 50 per cent of existing installed power generation capacity in India are committed to not building new coal power plants, a new analysis said Wednesday.

The analysis, released by Delhi-based climate communications outfit Climate Trends, measures the cumulative impact of few states and companies that have pivoted towards renewable energy to cater to new demand growth.

NTPC, India’s largest government owned power company that owns more than 25 per cent (54,224 MW) of total installed coal capacity, is committed to not building any new greenfield coal power plants.

Similarly, Tata Power, India’s largest (12,792 MW) private power company, has also committed to not building new coal projects. So is, JSW Energy, another private power producer with a total capacity of 4600MW.

In addition to companies, four states — Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka — have also committed to no new coal policy. Collectively, the states and the companies make up 50 per cent of India’s total installed power generating capacity.

Renewable energy is deflationary, with costs for setting up solar PV projects dropping by more than 80 per cent in India between 2010 and 2020.