New Delhi: Coal gasification holds the key to India's long-term energy security and can sharply lower the country's dependence on imports, Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Thursday. Addressing a roadshow in Mumbai on the Centre's scheme to promote surface coal and lignite gasification projects, Reddy said putting money into gasification would allow India to manufacture syngas, methanol, hydrogen, ethanol, urea and sustainable aviation fuel at home, among other products.
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Many of these are currently shipped in from abroad in large volumes, he noted, and producing them domestically through gasification would translate into sizeable foreign exchange savings, lower import dependence and fresh industrial value chains spanning fertilisers, steel, chemicals, transport and clean energy.
The roadshow was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey, Coal Ministry Secretary Vikram Dev Dutt, senior ministry officials, representatives of coal-sector public-sector enterprises, industry leaders, technology providers, investors and other stakeholders.
India sits on the world's fifth-largest coal reserves, exceeding 400 billion tonnes, giving it the scope to convert that abundance into high-value products and reshape its industrial base, Reddy said.
He pointed out that India is the second-largest producer and consumer of coal globally, that Coal India Limited is the world's biggest coal-producing company, and that the Gevra mine in Chhattisgarh ranks among the largest coal mines anywhere.
Coal accounts for 70 percent of the country's electricity demand and makes up nearly 55 percent of its overall energy mix, the minister said, reiterating the government's resolve to reach net zero by 2070 through cleaner and more efficient use of domestic coal resources.
Turning to the National Coal Gasification Mission, Reddy said the government has fixed an ambitious goal of gasifying 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030. He said he was confident the incentive scheme would spur large-scale investment, speed up technology adoption and position India as a global front-runner in coal gasification.
The draft Request for Proposal (RFP), he added, has been placed in the public domain so that stakeholders can offer their views, suggestions and feedback to firm up the implementation framework.
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Fadnavis said India was stepping into a new era of coal gasification driven by modern technology, describing Atmanirbhar Bharat as the pathway to a Viksit Bharat and calling energy security fundamental to the country's growth and resilience.
Over-reliance on imports, he cautioned, leaves the country exposed to global geopolitical developments and supply-chain disruptions. He invited investors and industry leaders to set up in Maharashtra.
