India will integrate carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) into its coal gasification and industrial hubs in an effort to strengthen coal’s input to the country’s net-zero transition. The announcement was made by Union coal and mines minister G Kishan Reddy, speaking at the ET Energy Leadership summit last week.

India is the world’s second-largest coal producer.

The Minister highlighted that coal production and dispatch crossed 1 billion tonnes in 2024-25, with demand projected to reach 1.6 billion tonnes by 2030. “To meet this rising demand while ensuring sustainability,” he said, “we are turning coal into a driver of green growth.”

He explained that the Coal Gasification Mission is set to achieve 100 million tonnes by 2030, with seven projects already underway. At the same time, coal PSUs are proactively diversifying into renewables, already adding 1,900 MW of solar and wind capacity, with a target of 15 GW by 2030.

On the environmental front, the Minister underlined that over 57,000 hectares of land in and around coal and lignite mining areas have already been reclaimed. Another 16,000 hectares are targeted by 2030 under Mission GREEN Coal Regions. According to the Economic Times, the plan, by 2047, is to have reclaimed more than one lakh hectares of mined-out land and developed eco-tourism hubs across coalfields.