India still lacks sufficient research to determine which existing gasification technologies are best suited for the country's high-ash coal, said Rupinder Brar, additional secretary at the coal ministry. Greater collaboration between industry, academia and research institutions is needed to develop domestic capabilities, she added.
She was speaking at a panel discussion on coal gasification, organised by Ashoka University and Chintan Research Foundation in New Delhi.
"We have really not got our own indigenous technologies," Brar said. “We should all get together, work on whatever exists in the world, build on it, adapt it to Indian conditions and make it (technology) much more useful, much more viable both in terms of economic viability and also the technological viability for our country. If you keep bringing technology from overseas, then you're always looking for technicians to come over."
Her remarks come as the government pushes ahead with its target of gasifying 100 MT of coal by 2030, under the National Coal Gasification Mission and the recently approved ₹37,500 crore incentive scheme.
Brar's comments regarding the technology gap assume significance because coal gasification is being positioned as a key pillar of India's energy security strategy, and a means of reducing dependence on imported products such as LNG, ammonia, methanol and urea.
Recent disruptions in West Asia have merely exposed vulnerabilities that already existed in India's supply chains, and reinforced the need for greater domestic production capacity, according to her.
Brar also signalled that successful scaling up of coal gasification could substantially increase future coal demand. If gasification projects progress as envisaged, India's coal requirement could exceed the target of 1.5 billion tonne by FY30, she said.
"If gasification is going the way it is going, then the demand is only going to increase," she said, adding that the country may ultimately need to mine more coal to support emerging industrial demand from gasification-linked sectors.
During a media interaction after the event, she clarified that the government does not intend to directly negotiate foreign technology partnerships for the sector. The ministry's role is to create policy frameworks and provide support, while project developers will be responsible for identifying technology partners, she said.
While industry has continued to seek additional policy support, Brar indicated that the government expects stakeholders to play a larger role in developing commercially viable projects, arguing that the transition cannot be driven by subsidies alone.
The ministry expects strong participation under the first round of the scheme and is confident that the process will gain momentum this year, as consultations on the draft RFP are completed and project proposals begin to take shape.
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