Coal-Heavy Steel Industry Hampers India's Green Goals

10 Dec 2024 , 08:55 AM

India has a “rocky and uncertain path” towards fulfilling its target of reaching net zero by 2070 because of its thriving and coal-dependent steel industry, according to Global Energy Monitor.

According to a report released Tuesday by the climate research group, the nation has more steelmaking capacity under development than any other country in the world, even surpassing China.

It stated that rather than switching to green steelmaking, the government’s National Steel Policy mostly depends on emissions-intensive coal-fired blast furnaces and then attempts to decarbonise them after they are constructed.

India is the third-largest emitter in the world, and as its economy and population are still expanding quickly, how quickly it can decarbonise will have a significant impact on international efforts to prevent the worst effects of climate change. In 2022, the steel industry was responsible for 12% of the nation’s emissions, and a boom in construction and infrastructure is expected to continue driving that number upward.

Although GEM doesn’t see it reaching that level until 2036, the government has set a goal to increase the nation’s yearly capacity for producing crude steel to 300 million tonnes by 2030, nearly doubling from 161 million tonnes in the fiscal year 2022–2023.

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