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The country's coal demand, which had remained weak earlier in the current financial year, is poised for a boost in the coming days on the back of a sharp turnaround in electricity consumption, an industry expert said on Sunday. Vinaya Varma, Managing Director of mjunction services ltd -- a B2B e-commerce platform and joint venture of SAIL and Tata Steel -- said after successive months of negative growth in October and November, power demand staged a strong recovery in December with a 6.3 per cent growth. "The tempo has been maintained with power consumption continuing to rise in January as well, due to a harsh winter and general improvement in economic activities," Varma said. "This, we believe, will boost coal demand in the coming days," he added. The country's coal sector, after hitting a record one-billion-tonne production milestone, is staring at a surprise demand slowdown, forcing major public firms and new commercial miners to rethink expansion plans amid rising ...
The share of coal in India's energy mix will shrink to 30-35 per cent by 2047, and responsible use of the fossil fuel is key to future development, experts said. The coal's share in India's electricity mix is currently at 70 per cent. India achieved over one billion tonnes of coal production in FY25, with coal-based power contributing 72 per cent to total electricity generation. Former chairman and managing director of Coal India Ltd, P M Prasad, said that over the coming three to four decades, the priority must be slashing emissions and rolling out best practices wherever feasible. "By 2047, coal's share is expected to come down from the current levels to around 30-35 per cent. We understand that. But as long as that 35 per cent remains, we must develop responsibly," said Prasad, currently the Chairman of the India Chapter of FutureCoal - the global alliance for sustainable coal. The India Chapter, launched with Coal India Limited and Gainwell Engineering as founding members, ...