According to the Energy Information Administration’s 2009 International Energy Outlook, India’s use of coal for electricity is projected to grow by 1.9 percent per year to 9.3 quadrillion Btu in 2030, as an additional 65 gigawatts of coal-generated capacity is brought online.
This growth is essential to India’s rapidly developing economy — and to provide electricity to millions of citizens currently without it.
Despite this forward momentum, India faces other challenges, including insufficient energy investments and environmental issues. Simply put, developing and implementing next generation clean coal technologies like carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is not yet a priority for this developing nation.