India's Coal Demand Projected to Double to 2.6 Billion Tons by 2050

India's government think tank, NITI Aayog, projects that the country's coal demand could more than double to 2.615 billion tons by 2050 under current policy scenarios. The report emphasizes that coal will remain the backbone of India's energy system for decades to ensure grid reliability and support rapid economic growth. Even under a net-zero emissions scenario, coal consumption is expected to rise to 1.827 billion tons by 2050 before witnessing a sharp decline. While the share of coal in power generation is set to drop from 73% in 2025 to 47% by 2070, the absolute volume remains significant due to rising total energy needs. India requires dependable and cost-effective baseload power to prevent blackouts during extreme weather events, a role that renewables cannot yet fully fulfill. This long-term demand certainty provides a bullish outlook for coal prices and benefits major producers like Coal India Ltd and Adani Enterprises.