National electricity policy to consider demand, climate targets

The current installed power generation capacity in the country stands at 392 Gw, of which coal has the lion's share with 202 Gw

As the Centre prepares for the new National Electricity Policy (NEP), in the wake of the climate commitments, key ministries say they will balance the rising demand of electricity with sustainability measures.

While the ministry of power is of the view that electricity production has to become “greener”, the ministry of coal believes that coal production will not be hampered as there is enough demand to be met.

An expert committee set up for consultation on the new NEP, in its draft report said new coal-based power generation should not be taken up unless it is for replacing older units and/or non-fossil