The Hindu Business Line : `Coal key to India's energy security'

Coal has the potential to play a key role in India's energy security but it comes along with a few challenges relating to environment issues, according to Mr. Milton Catelin, Chief Executive of the UK-based World Coal Institute.

Mr Catelin was speaking at Power Plant Summit 2006, hosted by the Godrej Green Business Centre and the CII here.

According to him,there isan urgent need to harness the power of coal,as it is the single largest commercially traded source of energy, providing about 55 per cent of India's primary energy consumption.

India has emerged as a major coal nation and a leading player in the global energy system. Since accessibility to reasonably priced sources of energy is the building block for a sustainable future, coal continues to play a strategic role in overall development.

This can be gauged from the fact that coal provides for 23 per cent of world's primary energy, 39 per cent of world's electricity, and 70 per cent of world's steel.

Providing insight into how China and South Africa have empowered their populace with energy supplies, Mr. Catelin said the growth and environment challenge was similar for India. The development of core infrastructure sectors such as power, steel and cement are dependent upon coal. However, the challenge is to balance the national economic and social growth with the environmental imperatives of a shared earth.

Fourth largest producer

India is the fourth largest producer of coal in the world next only to China, the US and Australia, and is host to some of the largest reserves of coal in the world.

It is estimated that it has more than 92,000 million tonnes that could last for the next 229 years at the current consumption levels.

To balance environmental issues, he said "we would require safe and cheap nuclear power, reliable and cheap renewables, clean coal and improved efficiencies."

KyotO protocol

India has played a leading role in international fora addressing issues in the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change and recently in the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate held in Sydney this year.

For the coal industry in countries such as India and Chinathat produce and need much of this fuel, future lies in carbon, capture and storage (CCS).

This helps in checking pollution, it being eco friendly, according to him.

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