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- Title
Future CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and electricity generation from proposed coal-fired power plants in India.
- Authors
Shearer, Christine; Fofrich, Robert; Davis, Steven J.
- Abstract
With its growing population, industrializing economy, and large coal reserves, India represents a critical unknown in global projections of future CO2 emissions. Here, we assess proposed construction of coal-fired power plants in India and evaluate their implications for future emissions and energy production in the country. As of mid-2016, 243 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired generating capacity are under development in India, including 65 GW under construction and an additional 178 GW proposed. These under-development plants would increase the coal capacity of India's power sector by 123% and, when combined with the country's goal to produce at least 40% of its power from non-fossil sources by 2030, exceed the country's projected future electricity demand. The current proposals for new coal-fired plants could therefore either 'strand' fossil energy assets (i.e., force them to retire early or else operate at very low capacity factors) and/or ensure that the goal is not met by 'locking-out' new, low-carbon energy infrastructure. Similarly, future emissions from the proposed coal plants would also exceed the country's climate commitment to reduce its 2005 emissions intensity 33% to 35% by 2030, which-when combined with the commitments of all other countries-is itself not yet ambitious enough to meet the international goal of holding warming well below 2°C relative to the pre-industrial era.
- Subjects
INDIA; CARBON dioxide &; the environment; ELECTRIC power production; COAL-fired power plants
- Publication
Earth's Future, 2017, Vol 5, Issue 4, p408
- ISSN
2328-4277
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/2017EF000542