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					</table><p>The <a href="https://www.coal.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry of Coal</a>, under its net-zero electricity consumption plan for coal/lignite public sector undertakings, has set a renewable energy target of 9 GW in the coal sector by 2030 from the present 1.75 GW.</p>
<p>It will also promote the deployment of rooftop and ground-mounted solar power projects across mining facilities.</p>
<p>It also aims to develop solar parks within the reclaimed mining areas and other suitable land, leveraging underutilized land resources for clean energy generation.</p>
<p>The ministry has also issued directives to coal companies to accelerate the adoption of solar power in their operations, including rooftop solar installations on all government buildings and the development of solar projects in de-coaled areas and available land.</p>
<p>The total solar capacity installed by leading coal companies like <a href="https://www.coalindia.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coal India</a>, <a href="https://www.nlcindia.in/new_website/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NLC India</a>, and Singareni Collieries Company (<a href="https://scclmines.com/scclnew/index.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SCCL</a>) is 1,700 MW, and the wind capacity is 51 MW.</p>
<p>The initiatives by the Ministry of Coal align with India’s commitment at the COP-26 to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070 and the government&#8217;s updated Nationally Determined Contributions target to achieve 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.</p>
<p>Last October, the Coal Ministry and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/coal-ministry-green-hydrogen-pump-storage-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> plans to work together to promote green energy initiatives. The Coal Ministry had proposed to make surplus land from coal companies available for private investors interested in establishing green hydrogen projects.</p>
<p>Coal central public sector undertakings possess land in open-cast mines with natural water storage reservoirs and elevations of approximately 100 meters. These areas can be transformed into pump storage projects by constructing top reservoirs. Plans are underway to accelerate the development of such projects.</p>
<p>The Coal Ministry <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/coal-ministry-identifies-20-abandoned-mines-psp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">identified</a> 20 abandoned mines to evaluate their feasibility for setting up pumped storage projects and leveraging vast land banks’ economic advantages. The projects will be developed to help utilize solar energy to generate hydroelectricity, promoting sustainable development in the coal sector.</p>


Indian Coal Sector Targets 9 GW Renewable Energy Capacity by 2030


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					</table><p>The Ministry of New &amp; Renewable Energy (<a href="https://mnre.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MNRE</a>) and the <a href="https://coal.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry of Coal</a> have announced they would work together to promote green energy initiatives.</p>
<p>At a meeting between these ministries, it was decided that MNRE will provide essential technical, policy, and capacity-building support. The Coal Ministry will offer land capital and oversee the implementation of projects related to solar energy, green hydrogen, and other renewable energy programs.</p>
<p>A notable outcome of the meeting was the offer of making surplus land from coal companies available for private investors interested in establishing green hydrogen projects. Coal entral public sector undertakings possess land in open-cast mines with natural water storage reservoirs and elevations of approximately 100 meters. These areas can be transformed into pump storage projects by constructing top reservoirs. Plans are underway to accelerate the development of such projects.</p>
<p>Considering the vast land resources in the form of overburden dumps owned by coal undertakings, it was decided to utilize this land to set up solar projects. This endeavor extends to around 85 residential colonies located in coal-bearing regions, encompassing roughly 50,000 houses. A comprehensive assessment will be conducted to equip all government buildings and houses with rooftop solar panels, following a dedicated mission approach.</p>
<p>MNRE will support the Ministry of Coal and its undertakings by offering capacity-building training for engineers, technicians, and other personnel through the National Institute of Solar Energy. Additionally, knowledge partnerships with institutions like IIT Roorkee, the Solar Energy Corporation of India, and other resource agencies associated with MNRE will be established.</p>
<p>This decision comes in the wake of the Power Ministry&#8217;s <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/slash-renewable-generation-obligation-coal-plants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal</a> to reduce the renewable generation obligation for coal or lignite-based power generating stations from 40% to a minimum of 6-10%, although the rationale behind this reduction remains unspecified.</p>
<p>Several central public sector undertakings under the Ministry of Coal, including Coal India, NLC India, and Singareni Collieries Company, have already taken steps towards achieving net-zero emissions. They have installed more than 1.6 GW of solar energy generation capacity. Additionally, work is progressing on an additional 500 MW of solar projects at various stages.</p>
<p>Public sector undertakings of the Ministry of Coal have set a target to create a generation capacity of about 12 GW by 2030. As part of this endeavor, it is identifying suitable land patches spanning over 300 acres to offer to private investors interested in establishing green hydrogen projects, aligning with the MNRE&#8217;s policies.</p>
<p>According to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker</a>, Coal India has issued tenders for 5.56 GW solar power projects.</p>


Coal Ministry to Use Surplus Land for Green Hydrogen, Pump Storage Projects


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					</table><p>Union <a href="https://coal.gov.in/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minister of Coal</a>, <a href="https://mines.gov.in/webportal/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mines</a> &amp; Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi, has unveiled India&#8217;s first-ever report on “Critical Minerals for India,” identifying a list of 30 critical minerals, comprising Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Graphite, Cadmium, Silicon, Indium, Tellurium among others imperative for the development of renewables such as electric vehicles and solar.</p>
<p>The list was identified considering resource and reserve position, production, import dependency, future technology, clean energy use, and agricultural requirements.</p>
<p>It is expected to play an important role in executing the required policies to ensure regulated extraction of these minerals essential for the growth of the renewables sector. The country, for now, continues to depend on imports of such raw materials to develop renewable technologies domestically.</p>
<p>Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary Ministry of Mines, stressed the urgency of reevaluating India&#8217;s mineral requirements in light of international commitments to reduce carbon emissions and achieve net-zero targets.</p>
<p>With an increasing focus on energy transition and sustainability, the Ministry acknowledges the need to periodically revisit the critical mineral list to align with evolving demands and emerging technologies.</p>
<p>The report, prepared by an expert team constituted by the Ministry of Mines, comes as a crucial step in India&#8217;s journey towards self-reliance and security in the domain of mineral resources.</p>
<p>The Ministry formed a seven-member committee to identify critical minerals for the country. The committee conducted a three-stage assessment process to determine the list of critical minerals.</p>
<p>In the first stage, the committee studied the critical minerals strategies of various countries and considered 69 elements/minerals that were considered critical by major global economies.</p>
<p>The second stage involved an inter-ministerial consultation to identify minerals critical to specific sectors. Feedback was received from representatives of various ministries and organizations.</p>
<p>The third stage aimed to derive an empirical formula for identifying critical minerals.</p>
<p>The committee consulted with the International Energy Agency (<a href="https://www.iea.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IEA</a>) and adopted the EU methodology, considering economic importance and supply risk factors.</p>
<p>The identified minerals also include Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Hafnium, Molybdenum, Niobium, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE, Rhenium, Strontium, Tantalum,  Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium, and Selenium.</p>
<p>The Geological Survey of India (<a href="https://www.gsi.gov.in/webcenter/portal/OCBIS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GSI</a>) is currently focused on exploring and assessing these critical and deep-seated minerals.</p>
<p>Minerals like lithium, graphite, cobalt, titanium, and rare earth elements are crucial for various sectors, including high-tech electronics, telecommunications, transport, defense, and the global transition to a low-carbon emissions economy.</p>
<p>India has been recently included as the newest partner in the Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) following Prime Minister Modi&#8217;s recent visit to the United States.</p>
<p>The partnership aims to strengthen critical mineral supply chains, ensuring a steady and secure supply of minerals vital to the nation&#8217;s strategic interests.</p>
<p>The committee also recommended the creation of a Centre of Excellence for Critical Minerals (CECM) within the Ministry of Mines.</p>
<p>The CECM will update the list of critical minerals, develop a critical mineral strategy, and facilitate the development of an effective value chain for critical minerals in the country.</p>
<p>Recently, months after the GSI <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/india-lithium-reserves-in-jammu-kashmir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the discovery of lithium reserves in Jammu and Kashmir (J&amp;K), officials in the Rajasthan government <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/large-lithium-discovered-in-rajasthan-gsi-officials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that they had discovered lithium in the state.</p>
<p>The Government of India is set to <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/government-to-lithium-reserves-found-in-jk-in-december" target="_blank" rel="noopener">auction</a> the 5.9 million tons of lithium reserves found in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district in December this year.</p>


India Unveils Critical Minerals List to Boost Clean Energy and Cut Imports

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