NEW DELHI: The Centre on Wednesday said that the demand for coal in India is still to reach its peak and the dry fuel will continue to play a key role in the energy mix till 2040 and beyond.
Therefore, a shift from coal will not happen in foreseeable future in the country, according to coal minister Pralhad Joshi.
Joshi in his opening remarks, while chairing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the coal ministry, said that there is a push towards energy transition away from coal in the global world.
"However, for India, coal, being an affordable source of energy, holds prime importance for meeting its energy needs being fuelled by the rising economy," he said.
Coal accounts for more than 51 per cent of India's primary energy requirement and around 73 per cent of power generation.
During the meeting, it was also informed by the coal ministry that although there are no immediate challenges to the coal phase-down, companies involved in coal mining will have to manage the closure of already abandoned mines.
The coal companies will also have to manage those mines that will close normally in near future in a manner aligned to 'just transition' principles to ensure the repurposing of land and infrastructure assets and sustenance of the livelihoods of workers among others.
Government-owned Coal India Ltd accounts for over 80 per cent of coal mining in the country.