India achieved a significant clean energy milestone on July 6 when the share of clean energy in the power mix breached the 50% mark. According to The Times of India, this development represents a major advancement in the country's transition toward renewable and sustainable energy sources. The milestone comes as India continues to expand its clean energy infrastructure and reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels.
The government has floated a request for proposal (RFP) to establish projects under its ₹37,500-crore incentive scheme for coal and lignite gasification. As reported by The Times of India, the scheme was launched in May and aims to support the gasification of 75 million tonnes (MT) of coal and lignite by 2030 to produce syngas. The programme is designed to reduce dependence on imports of LNG, urea, ammonia and methanol while promoting self-reliance in the energy and chemicals sectors.
India currently faces significant import dependencies across key sectors, with the country importing nearly 85% of its crude oil requirement, around 90% of its methanol requirement and 13-15% of its ammonia requirement. According to The Times of India, the country's import bill for key substitutable products including liquefied natural gas, urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonia, coking coal, methanol and dimethyl ether (DME) stood at nearly ₹2.8 lakh crore in FY25. The gasification programme is specifically designed to address these import dependencies.
The RFP comes after the Union cabinet approved the scheme in May and the ministry of coal issued operational guidelines on June 25. As reported by The Times of India, officials expect to select companies under the scheme within the next four months. To facilitate stakeholder participation, the ministry will hold a pre-application conference on July 20 to provide clarity on scheme provisions and application processes.
