Govt plans renewable-energy projects in closed coal mines

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₹30,000 crore, of which around ₹24,000 crore will be invested by Coal India," said a person familiar with the developments. The remaining capex is expected to come from the private sector. Environmental sustainability will be a key theme of the government's ‘Vision 2047’, said another person familiar with the developments.

Last week, union minister for coal and mines Pralhad Joshi chaired a meeting with officials from the ministry to discuss the 'Vision 2047' roadmap. To encourage greener use of coal, the government is looking at promoting more sustainable practices such as coal gasificiation. Gasification is the process of turning coal into fuel gas, which is considered to be a cleaner fuel than coal.

The gas produced can also be used to produce other gaseous fuels such as hydrogen, methane, methanol and ethanol. A ₹6,000-crore viability gap funding for gasification projects is in the works and awaiting cabinet approval. Though the government aims to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030 under the National Coal Gasification plan, the practice has not picked up in India because of the hue expenses involved, and because Indian coal has high ash content.

Repurposing closed mines is also being considered under the plan. The government is looking at creating water bodies or green-energy infrastructure such as solar parks in these areas. Despite the push towards sustainability, India's coal production is expected to increase over the coming decade.

It's expected to cross one billion tonnes this year, and the government's target for 2030 is 1.5 billion tonnes. "Under ‘Vision 2047’, one of the things the government is looking at is coal availability. Several studies show that although the share of renewable energy installed