As India strives to achieve a net-zero economy by 2070 and eyes 500 gigawatt (GW) non-fossil electricity by 2030, nearly 9,000 hectare mining land in Odisha can be re-purposed for production of renewable energy (RE) and development of green industries at scale to give push to these goals, a new report has suggested.
What is more significant about these land parcels is that they can be used for low-carbon development initiatives while avoiding the challenges of conventional land acquisition, it stated.
The report ‘Repurposing Mining Land in Odisha: Opportunities for Catalysing Odisha’s Low-Carbon Development’, released by the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iForest) stated that as one of India’s key mining and industrial states, Odisha holds a critical position in steering this green transition and approximately 8,957 hectare land from closed and soon-to-be-closed coal and non-coal mines in the state can be strategically repurposed over the next decade. These land patches are important assets for boosting renewable energy deployment and green industries in Odisha. With a renewable energy target of 10.95 GW by 2030 and industry contributing over 44 per cent of the state’s gross state value added (GSVA), timely access to large, contiguous and investment-ready land is of utmost importance, it stated.
As per iForest’s assessment more than 70 per cent of the 8,957-hectare land is suitable for solar and other renewable energy and green industrial uses, creating a ready, investment-oriented land pipeline in mining districts such as Angul, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Keonjhar. “Together, these districts form the core of Odisha’s fossil-fuel and mineral-dependent industrial base and will increasingly need to plan for economic diversification as India’s energy transition accelerates,” the report stated.
As per the report about 2,835 hectare such land is available with coal mines that are mostly concentrated in Angul district. The remaining 6,123 hectare is available with non-coal mines, largely concentrated in Keonjhar district. These land parcels offers a critical, readily available resource to support the state’s green energy transition and industrial growth, while avoiding the challenges of conventional land acquisition. The assessment highlighted that at least eight closed coal mines across Angul, Sundargarh and Jharsuguda offer a strong cluster- based repurposing opportunity, enabling shared infrastructure, coordinated land-use planning and phased land release strategies.
Similarly, at least 32 non-coal mines analysed for repurposing have been found to be distributed across key mineral-producing districts, with a major concentration in Keonjhar and Sundargarh, state’s iron ore belt.
“The presence of multiple mines approaching closure by 2030 and 2035 allows for phased and progressive repurposing, where land parcels can be released in stages and aligned with closure sequencing, reclamation progress and regulatory approvals under the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules (MCDR) framework,” the report stated.
It, however, said that the non-coal mine lands that typically involve smaller lease areas, varied pit and dump configurations and, in many cases, higher ecological sensitivity, particularly in forest and tribal regions, need more differentiated repurposing plans.