Coal India to develop 1,190 MW solar project

Coal India Ltd (CIL), an Indian state-owned coal mining company, is to develop a 1,190 MW solar power project in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. The project is an outcome of a memorandum of understanding with Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd, an electricity generation company. CIL produces 85% of India’s domestic coal output and supplies nearly 40% of the country’s commercial energy demand, making it a critical part of India’s emissions management plans. According to the Indian government, this solar project is part of Coal India’s diversification programme, a strategy to tilt the company’s profile towards the energy transition in India: “It would boost CIL’s pursuit of solar power generation as part of its diversification programme for clean coal energy. The project would begin in a phased manner and is expected to be an employment generator in the state apart from providing cleaner power.”