Despite India's rapid progress toward generating renewable energy as part of its goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2070, it continues to invest in coal as a source of power. Prasanna Kumar Motupalli, the Chairman and Managing Director of NLC India, a public-sector company, discussed India's future energy plans, the challenges it faces, and NLC India's own strategies.

The Talabira II and III mines have been actively producing coal. The target for the previous year was 8 million metric tonnes, and the company exceeded it by producing 10 million. This year, with a target of 12 million metric tonnes, they are optimistic about achieving 14 million. NLC India has tendered for a 3 X 800 MW Talabira thermal power plant, with land acquisition underway. The main power plant is planned for 880 acres, with the contract expected to be awarded by December. The construction period will be a minimum of 36 months, and the total project will require Rs 19,600 crore in capital expenditure. Power purchase agreements for the entire 2,400 MW have been signed with Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, and Odisha.

In response to the question about India's dependence on coal for power, Motupalli noted that while renewable energy has grown significantly, India's power demand is increasing at a rate of 8-9 percent. Consequently, thermal capacity will continue to play a major role in electricity supply. Even in projections for 2030 and 2047, coal and lignite continue to be prominent. India's net zero target is 2070, but it doesn't necessarily mean coal zero, as coal generation can be part of achieving net zero, albeit at an additional cost.

NLC India's roadmap for renewables includes a target of over 6 GW of capacity by 2030. They have already secured 2 GW in various projects and are pursuing multiple others, such as a joint venture in Assam for installing 1,000 MW of renewable capacity. Their diversification plans involve a lignite-to-methanol project and converting overburden into construction sand.

The primary challenge in India's renewable energy expansion is storage capacity. To reach the target of 500 GW of capacity addition by 2030, storage capacity in the form of batteries or pumped storage needs to be expanded to ensure a continuous power supply.