Towards better technology policies for the Indian coal-power sector

Coal is projected to be a mainstay of the Indian power sector in the decades to come, given the availability of significant domestic resources and the limited availability of other options that could make major contributions to the growing power needs of the country. However, further capacity addition in coal-power generation needs to be based on a careful consideration of not only the country's near-term growth and security needs but also present and emerging environmental challenges, including local pollution control and mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions. This paper assesses the suitability of current and emerging advanced power generation technologies for the Indian context and presents some technology policy implications of this assessment and analysis to help the Indian coal-power sector meet the country's energy needs in a sustainable manner.