Roadmap for coal transition

India's energy demand has doubled since 2000 with fossil fuels accounting for about 58 per cent of its current energy mix. This hard reality also makes its energy transition goal of achieving net zero carbon emission by 2070 a challenging task. Coal accounts for 86 per cent of the country's fossil fuel-based energy requirement and transition from coal to non-fossil fuel is critical to meeting the target. Addressing livelihood and other socio-economic issues of people dependent on coal mines is crucial to ensure smooth and transition to non-fossil fuels. The NITI Aayog's latest 'Report of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Low Carbon Technologies formed under the India-US Sustainable Growth Pillar of the Strategic Clean Energy Partnership' envisages framing of a sustainable coal mine closure framework and building of capacity right now to ensure that coal assets are closed seamlessly "on principles of just transition". The report estimates that coal consumption in the country is likely to peak somewhere between 2035 and 2040 and may undergo gradual tapering thereafter. This gives an indication of the roadmap of India's journey towards net zero goal. The report points out that tapering of coal demand may result in phase-wise measured closure of mines – starting from low-capacity mines requiring closure on just transition principles. Besides, coal mines will also close down in the intervening period due to exhaustion of reserves, safety problems, viability issues etc., requiring proper closure to ensure that there is no loss of income for people dependent on these mines, it adds. The primary concern highlighted by Inter-Ministerial Committee is that coal-bearing regions have been subsumed into mainly monoculture societies centred around coal mining and its use which has led to heavy economic and social dependence on the coal sector, with it affecting livelihoods, infrastructure, environmental conditions, state revenues, and quality of life in these regions. "Coal in India occurs in states which are economically disadvantaged. People derive some sort of earning directly from mining activities in such areas and indirectly from allied activities.Thus, the closure of coal-based assets, while an integral part of the transition in the long run, is going to be disruptive to the sector in general and the local communities in particular," explains the committee in its report. Apart from livelihoods, other issues which the committee harps on for just transition are - community health, physical and social infrastructure, repurposing of resources and public finance. Key suggestions made by the committee include continuing the medical care facilities currently provided by coal companies in the post-closure period and closing the entire mining area in a manner to ensure that the water and air regime is free from any harmful contaminant and land area is stabilized in environmentally sustainable manner. Likewise, the framework ensuring that social physical infrastructure such as schools, hospital roads constructed by mining companies and water supplied to local communities for drinking and irrigation purposes are not affected following closure of mines, as suggested in the report, will be essential to prevent the development process from getting derailed in those areas. Identifying alternative livelihood opportunities and imparting training to people related to mining activities on skills that will be required to take up new livelihoods, should be planned in advance. Such training programmes on acquiring new skills cannot wait till closure of coal assets and need to precede the process of closing down a mine, so that the communities dependent on coal-mining activities or coal-based enterprises can prepare for the transition. Local authorities drawing comprehensive planning for creation of alternative livelihoods and mobilizing resources locally as well as from district, state and Central government for supporting those to make them sustainable will help absorb the shocks of coal asset closure. The Inter-Ministerial Committee has recommended constitution of three-tiered task force with Tier 1 at the Central level chaired by Coal Ministry representative consists of representatives from relevant ministries of the Central government, including ministries related to rural development, agriculture, human resources development, environment, etc. Tier 2 at state level for each coal-bearing state consists of representatives from the corresponding state government, representative from coal companies operating in the state, labour representatives and transition experts from civil society. Tier 3, the committee suggests, should consist of representatives from the affected local communities, representatives from the project staff and corresponding district administration and agencies and mandated to develop and implement the redevelopment and repurposing plan for each asset that is being closed, based on public consultations. The report also insists on constituting the Tier 3 Task force at least four years before the asset is closed, so that a consultative asset-specific re-development and re-purposing plan can be completed before the asset's closure. Drawing up of a comprehensive roadmap of transition from coal with specific target datelines is needed to implement the committee's recommendations.