In 2023, India’s power companies and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s Expert Appraisal Committee have ushered in a new coal permitting spree, the latest briefing from the Global Energy Monitor (GEM) and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reveals. Three non-captive coal plant expansions (3.9 gigawatts, or GW) received permits in the first five months of 2023 alone, up from zero the year before, as well as seven other coal plant proposals (7.6 GW) also moving forward in the permitting process by receiving Terms of Reference, and two additional coal plants (2.9 GW) appeared under consideration for the first time this year.
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