{"id":86273,"date":"2026-10-06T18:23:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T12:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=86273"},"modified":"2026-10-06T18:24:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T12:54:25","slug":"coal-stocks-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/06-10-2026\/coal-stocks-india","title":{"rendered":"Coal Stocks Critically Low as Power Demand Rises in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>depletion of coal inventories <\/strong>at domestic coal-based power plants this year is the highest in the past three years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fuel stocks at domestic coal-based power plants have<strong> declined by around 66% this year.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The same was 31.8% in 2024 and 36.8% in 2023 for the same period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite the<strong> growth of renewable energy <\/strong>over the years, coal remains by far the country&#8217;s biggest source of power generation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"53432f\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"453\" height=\"511\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-33.png\" alt=\"coal stocks india\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-86274\" style=\"--dominant-color: #53432f; aspect-ratio:0.886520702097731;width:404px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-33.png 453w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-33-266x300.png 266w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 453px) 100vw, 453px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is India Dependent on Coal for Electricity Generation?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Domestic Coal Reserves: <\/strong>India has substantial coal reserves, especially in states such as Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. This reduces dependence on imported fuels.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reliable Supply of Energy: <\/strong>Coal-based power plants can generate electricity continuously, unlike solar and wind, whose output varies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rising Electricity Demand:<\/strong> The demand for the electricity has been rising because of industrialisation, urbanisation, electrification and increasing use of appliances and cooling.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Renewables are intermittent: <\/strong>Solar power is available mainly during daylight hours, while wind generation depends on wind conditions.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Until sufficient battery storage, pumped-storage hydropower and flexible grids are available, coal helps maintain supply when renewable generation falls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns with India\u2019s Coal Dependency<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Environmental Pollution:<\/strong> Coal-based power plants release pollutants such as particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, contributing to air pollution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>High Greenhouse Gas Emissions:<\/strong> Coal is a carbon-intensive fuel and contributes significantly to India\u2019s CO\u2082 emissions, making climate-change mitigation more difficult.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Water Consumption: <\/strong>Thermal power plants require significant quantities of water for cooling; this creates pressure on water resources.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental Damage:<\/strong> Coal mining can lead to deforestation, land degradation, displacement of communities and loss of biodiversity.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Coal combustion produces large quantities of fly ash, whose improper disposal can contaminate land and water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Difficulty in Energy Transition:<\/strong> Heavy dependence on coal can create lock-in of coal-based infrastructure, making the transition towards cleaner energy sources more challenging and costly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Solar Mission (NSM): <\/strong>It was launched in 2010, it has set ambitious targets for solar capacity installation, including grid-connected and off-grid solar power projects.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Green Hydrogen Mission:<\/strong> Promotes green hydrogen produced using renewable energy, with the aim of reducing dependence on fossil fuels in difficult-to-decarbonise sectors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF): <\/strong>It was established to support research and innovation in clean energy technologies and projects that help in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Wind Energy Mission:<\/strong> Focuses on the development and expansion of wind energy in India. The target for wind energy capacity is set at 140 GW by 2030.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Financial Support &amp; Incentives: <\/strong>Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for large-scale solar and hybrid projects.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for solar PV manufacturing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Subsidies for rooftop solar and off-grid systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to promote green power trading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Infrastructure Development:<\/strong> Green Energy Corridor to improve RE grid integration.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PM-KUSUM Scheme for solarizing agricultural pumps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to strengthen DISCOMs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Partnerships: <\/strong>ISA (International Solar Alliance) was launched by India to promote global solar cooperation, under which India collaborates with countries &amp; global funds for clean energy investment and technology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grid Integration Plan:<\/strong> India\u2019s grid is being reimagined through the \u20b92.4 lakh crore Transmission Plan for 500 GW, linking renewable-rich states with demand centres.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Government is prioritizing investment in transmission infrastructure through the<strong> Green Energy Corridors a<\/strong>nd new high-capacity transmission lines from Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Ladakh.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>While these projects are multi-year efforts, once operational they will <strong>unlock over 200 GW of new renewable capacity.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vision till 2032:<\/strong> Government has already planned for building High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) corridors and boosting inter-regional transmission capacity from 120\u202fGW today to 143\u202fGW by 2027, and 168\u202fGW by 2032.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India&#8217;s dependence on coal is therefore <strong>not simply because India lacks renewable energy.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is largely because<strong> coal currently combines availability, established infrastructure, continuous generation and system reliability.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the same time,<strong> India is expanding solar, wind, hydropower, nuclear power and energy storage<\/strong> to gradually reduce the relative dependence on coal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: IE<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The depletion of coal inventories at domestic coal-based power plants this year is the highest in the past three years. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> About <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Fuel stocks at domestic coal-based power plants have declined by around 66% this year.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">  The same was 31.8% in 2024 and 36.8% in 2023 for the same period.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/06-10-2026\/coal-stocks-india\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86273"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86277,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86273\/revisions\/86277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}