India can save $1.2 billion a year by shutting old coal plants: Study

Country should accelerate decommissioning 30 gigawatts of coal-fired capacity and set aside another 20 gigawatts of plants as reserve: Research.

India can potentially save Rs 8,940 crore ($1.2 billion) a year by shutting down some old coal-burning power plants and allowing newer ones to run for longer hours, according to a study.

The country should accelerate decommissioning 30 gigawatts of inefficient coal-fired capacity and set aside another 20 gigawatts of plants as reserve, a move that will lead to cost savings as well as reduce pollution, the study by New Delhi-based Council on Energy, Environment and Water, or CEEW, said.

Closing down the old plants, which consume more coal than a newer counterpart to produce a unit of power, can