According to a consultant, India's leading renewable state will need more coal by 2036.

According to a government report, Rajasthan will require 4,400 megawatts by 2036 in order to "meet the rising electricity demand" despite India's leading renewable energy producer adding more?"clean energy" as it retires older thermal plants. According to a letter from the Central Electricity Authority (a think-tank of the federal ministry of power), the earlier estimate of 1,900MW coal-fired energy for Rajasthan has been more than doubled.

The document revealed that Rajasthan was preparing to retire 1,350 MW of its old coal-fired power plants.

Central Electricity Authority has not responded to a request for comments on the letter.

India has set itself a net-zero target for 2070, including doubling the national renewable power capacity to 500 gigawatts. According to government data, power consumption is expected to increase as the economy of South Asia expands. This will require a 40% increase to coal-fired capacities to reach more than 307 Gigawatts by 2030. Rajasthan's power regulator has reviewed its decision to deny a permit to build a 3,200 MW new coal-fired power plant in November due to the upward revision of the state's coal based power needs.

According to an independent document that was reviewed, the Rajasthan power utility asked for the regulator to review their decision.

The company stated that additional coal capacity is needed because solar and wind power are not available 24/7 and battery storage systems are not yet ready. About 70% of the state's?power comes from renewable sources.

The state utility has not responded to requests for comment. Other Indian states have also increased their coal power purchases, citing the strong demand for baseload generation and reliable electricity.

? (Reporting and Editing: Nidhi verma, Kate Mayberry; Editing: Sethuraman NR)

(source: Reuters)