India relaxes environment rules for coal mines, citing heatwave
ndia has rela ed environmental compliance rules for coal mines see ing to ramp up production as power outages e acerbate a sweltering heatwave, a government notice showed. oal ma es up more than two-thirds of ndia’s energy needs, even as unseasonably hot weather illustrates the threat from climate change caused by burning fossil fuels, AF reported. Soaring temperatures have prompted higher energy demand in recent wee s and left ndia facing a 2 -million-tonne shortfall at a time when coal spot prices have s yroc - eted since the start of the year. n a letter seen by AF , the Environment inistry said it has allowed a special dispensation” to the inistry of oal to rela certain requirements li e public consultations so mines could operate at increased capacities. The rela ation comes after it received a request from the inistry of oal stating that there is huge pressure on domestic coal supply in the country and all efforts are being made to meet the demand of coal for all sectors”. oal mining pro ects previously cleared to operate at -percent capacity may now increase capacity to percent without underta ing fresh environment impact studies, the authority said. The letter coincided with the government launching a new scheme last wee to lease abandoned stateowned coal pits to private mining companies, assuring them of fast-trac environment approvals. The inistry of Environment and Forests understands that they need to cut out the red tape,” coal ministry official Anil Kumar ain said at the launch event Friday. The government hopes to woo private mining giants li e edanta and Adani to revive more than 1 dormant coal mines previously deemed too e pensive to operate, using new technology and fresh capital. ndia needs a billion tons of coal annually to meet its current domestic demand.
ost of its needs are met by domestic producers, with a record million tons mined in the fiscal year to the end of arch. The shortfall is imported from countries li e ndonesia, Australia and South Africa.
The government says it plans to increase domestic coal production to 1.2 billion tons in the ne t two years to support a post-pandemic economic recovery.