Why India’s New Coal Mines Won’t Solve its Power Crisis

This briefing by Global Energy Monitor argues that India's plans to expand coal mining capacity are unnecessary due to chronic underutilization of existing mines and the rise of renewables. The report highlights that new projects pose severe risks to tribal communities, forests, and water security while increasing the likelihood of stranded assets as India pursues a 2070 net-zero target.

• India's operating coal mines suffer from significant underutilization, with 36% of approved capacity remaining unused. This amounts to 433 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of idled capacity out of a total of 1,211 mtpa.
• The expansion of coal capacity through 99 proposed projects (adding 427 mtpa) is deemed unnecessary. Existing capacity, including idled and recently closed mines, is estimated at 1,500 mtpa, which is sufficient to meet even the most ambitious long-term demand forecasts of 1,448 mtpa.
• Coal India (CIL) and its subsidiaries do not identify capacity constraints as a primary obstacle to meeting production targets. Instead, they cite land-use concerns, infrastructure impasses, and competition from renewables.
• Proposed coal mine developments threaten significant social and environmental displacement, including the potential displacement of 165 villages and 87,630 families. Of these families, 41,508 live in scheduled areas (PESA) predominantly populated by tribal communities.
• New mining projects pose severe ecological and resource risks, including the diversion of 19,297 hectares of forest land and an estimated additional water burden of 168,041 kiloliters per day. Furthermore, 54% of planned capacity is located in extremely high water risk zones.
• The build-out of new mines increases the risk of carbon lock-in and stranded assets, particularly as solar power costs have become competitive with coal and India has committed to a net-zero target by 2070.

APA

Kapoor, M., Means, T., & Tate, R. D. (2022). Why India’s New Coal Mines Won’t Solve its Power Crisis. Global Energy Monitor. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/India-Coal-Mines-FINAL-Oct.-2022_11.pdf

Chicago

Kapoor, Medha, Tiffany Means, and Ryan Driskell Tate. Why India’s New Coal Mines Won’t Solve its Power Crisis. Global Energy Monitor, 2022. https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/India-Coal-Mines-FINAL-Oct.-2022_11.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kapoor |first1=Medha |last2=Means |first2=Tiffany |last3=Tate |first3=Ryan Driskell |title=Why India’s New Coal Mines Won’t Solve its Power Crisis |publisher=Global Energy Monitor |date=October 2022 |url=https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/India-Coal-Mines-FINAL-Oct.-2022_11.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kapoor2022why, author = {Kapoor, Medha and Means, Tiffany and Tate, Ryan Driskell}, title = {{Why India’s New Coal Mines Won’t Solve its Power Crisis}}, institution = {Global Energy Monitor}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://globalenergymonitor.org/sites/default/files/migration/reports/India-Coal-Mines-FINAL-Oct.-2022_11.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }