India relaxes coal mine environment rules, citing heatwave

A government notice revealed that India has relaxed environmental compliance rules for coal miners in India to increase production. This is because power outages can exacerbate a heatwave.

India’s energy requirements are more than two thirds dependent on coal. Unseasonably hot weather is a sign of the danger from coal. Climate changeCaused by burning fossil fuels.

India is facing a 25-million-tonne shortfall due to rising temperatures. This comes at a time when the spot price of coal has risen dramatically since the beginning of the year.

The Environment Ministry, in a May 7th letter seen by AFP, stated that it has granted a “special disposition” to the Ministry of Coal to allow it to relax certain requirements like public consultations so that mines could operate at greater capacities.

After receiving a request by the Ministry of Coal “stating there is enormous pressure on domestic coal supply in country and all efforts being made to meet the coal demand for all sectors”, the Ministry of Coal granted the requested relaxation.

The authority said that coal mining projects that were previously approved to operate at 40 percent can now be increased to 50 percent, without the need for new environment impact studies.

The government launched a new scheme last Wednesday to lease abandoned coal pits to private mining firms, assuring them fast-track environmental approvals.

Anil Kumar Jain, a coal ministry official, stated that “The Ministry of Environment and Forests recognizes that they must cut out the red tape.” He spoke at Friday’s launch event.

The government hopes that private mining giants such as Adanito or Vedanta will help to revive more 100 dormant sites. Coal minesThe old technology and capital that was considered too expensive to use are now possible.

Double the coal demand

India requires a billion tonnes annually of coal to meet its current domestic demand.

The majority of its needs can be met by domestic producers. A record 777 million tonnes were mined in the country. Fiscal yearUp to March 31st

The shortfall comes from countries like South Africa, Australia, and Indonesia.

To support a post-pandemic recovery, the government plans to increase domestic coal production by 1.2 billion tonnes over the next two years.

Pralhad Shiva Joshi, Minister of Coal and Mines, said Friday that India’s coal demand will more than double by 2040.

A renewed focus on acceleration coalIndia could be missing the COP26 commitment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet 50% of the world’s emissions. Energy demandThrough renewable energyExperts predict 2030.

The UN projects that the third largest carbon emitter in the globe, already home 1.4 billion people by the middle of this decade, will be the planet’s most populous country.

2022 AFP