Coal will contribute 50% of the power generation in the country in the next 20 years, despite a decline from 74% in 2018, said Pralhad Joshi, Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs.
But at the same time, he also reiterated India's commitment to reduce carbon emissions at the Economic Times Energy Leadership summit.
He said India's emissions per capita was one third of the global average and what the country need was growth acceleration and coal was one of the means to achieve it.
He added India's primary energy demand was 88 million tonnes of oil equivalent, with coal being a major source of energy, accounting for 44% in the primary energy mix, compared with oil at 25%, natural gas at 6% and renewables at 3%.
Coal-to-renewable switch has its own limitations and will cause a number of issues. The switch must be progressive, and take the needs and aspirations of billions of people into account.
"India still has a window for using coal reserves and it must ensure maximum production and optimal consumption during this time. Therefore, there is no denying that coal will continue to remain as the major contributor to the energy basket of the nation," Joshi said.
(Writing by Lilya Li Editing by Alex Guo)
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