Survey says India should not close coal plants without ‘alternatives’

• India needs to leverage its resources, advanced technologies, and expertise to become a developed nation by 2047.

• Commercial interests and energy security remain key factors in the transition pathway.

• France’s nuclear power expansion in the 1970s was driven by embargoes by oil-producing countries.

• The European Union’s REPowerEU plan in 2022 includes a budget for investments in liquefied natural gas infrastructure and oil supplies.

• The U.S. administration approved India’s largest oil drilling project in Alaska in 2023.

• There is no valid economic rationale for shuttering coal plants in India due to the large expansion of coal-fired power plants in the 2010s.

• India should continue achieving net zero emissions by 2070 and invest in renewable energy.

• The “friction” between energy transition and energy security is evident in developed countries’ actions.

• Transitioning to renewable energy has significant ‘congestion cost’ and has raised electricity prices.