Despite the ongoing energy transition in India, coal is still the biggest source of energy in India. In 2022, coal accounted for around 55% of country’s primary energy consumption, followed by oil (28%) and natural gas (6%). In 2021, this share stood at 56%, 27% and 6% respectively.
India’s power sector relies heavily on coal with the sector contributing around 40% of country’s overall GHG emissions. At present, 73% of India’s power production comes through coal though this share is expected to go down to 55% by 2030 because of rising renewable power capacity. Nevertheless, in absolute terms coal-fired power capacity is still projected to rise over the coming decade. Meanwhile, the share of renewables in power production is expected to rise from current 12% to 31% by 2030. This is in line with government’s aspirations to boost the share of non-fossil fuel-based power mix.
