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'Bad boys' are back: 100 coal mines to reopen as power crisis worsens

A resurgence in India's hunger for coal could mean peak consumption is years away

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A miner at a coal mine | Photo: Shutterstock

Reuters
India is planning to reopen more than 100 coal mines previously considered financially unsustainable, as a heatwave-driven power crisis forces the world's third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter to double down on the fuel after months of low consumption.

State-run Coal India, which accounts for 80% of domestic coal output, saw production fall for two straight years ended March 2021 mainly due to a lack of demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. India also pushed utilities to cut imports of coal used for power generation to zero during that period.

But a recovery from the pandemic followed by an unrelenting heatwave boosting air conditioning use,

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