India's rapid economic growth has led to surging power demand, which the country aims to meet through expanded renewable energy capacity. But for now, coal remains firmly in its energy mix.

Indian GDP grew by 6.7pc last year, according to energy watchdog the IEA, with emissions growing at a slightly faster 7pc, or about 190mn t, to 2.8 gigatonnes of CO2. Accelerating the transition to cleaner power generation is imperative for the country to meet its development and climate goals. But it is still heavily reliant on coal for energy security. India's coal-fired capacity stands at almost 218GW for the 2024 fiscal year, according to government think-tank Niti Aayog, accounting for a 49pc share of the country's total installed power mix. And it aims to add 80GW more coal-fired capacity by April 2031-March 2032.

Coal-based power makes up 94pc of India's thermal power generation at present, and is likely to account for at least a 60pc share by 2030, reducing only slightly to 50pc by 2040, state-controlled producer Coal India business development director Debasish Nanda says. India's thermal power generation also includes natural gas, naphtha and diesel. India and more than 200 other countries reiterated a pledge to accelerate "efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power" at the UN Cop 28 climate summit in Dubai last year.

To reduce its reliance on coal, the Indian government has outlined plans to become a gas-based economy. It aims to increase the share of gas in its energy mix to 15pc by 2030 from about 6pc in 2022. And it plans to expand its renewable energy capacity to 500GW by 2030 from 197GW now. Solar power currently makes up the highest share of this, with 43pc or 81GW, followed by wind power with 46GW. India is set to add a further 6GW of solar-based capacity and 1.2GW of wind-based power by March 2025, according to Niti Aayog.

The power sector accounted for more than half of the increase in India's total emissions in 2023, the IEA says. Accelerating the transition is essential, but progress in individual states is highly uneven, according to a report by US-based think-tank the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and UK think-tank Ember. States such as Karnataka and Gujarat have effectively integrated renewable energy into their power sectors, but others have not. India has many central and state-level policies to encourage energy independence, but implementation has not been adequate or transparent, the report says.

Power move

Firms are taking steps to boost renewable capacity. India's largest power producer, NTPC, primarily relies on coal but its 2032 plan to become a major diversified energy supplier includes renewable and nuclear power generation, chairman and managing director Gurdeep Singh says. It expects to have about 60GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032, and is looking to add 10GW of nuclear capacity, with an additional 4GW in a joint venture with a nuclear power corporation, Singh says.

India also aims to electrify as much of its industrial sector as possible. State-controlled power transmission company Powergrid has set a target to meet 50pc of its internal energy needs through renewables by 2025 and achieve net zero emissions by 2047. Industry experts predict India's energy-related emissions are likely to increase up to 2028 and recede thereafter.

But funding still poses a challenge, especially for a country so large. India earlier this year submitted to UN climate body the UNFCCC a call for developed countries to provide at least $1 trillion/yr in climate finance to developing countries from 2025, in reference to the so-called new collective quantified goal. The government says India alone requires $70bn-80bn/yr to fund its green energy goals.

By Rituparna Ghosh and Prethika Nair

The US Coast Guard (USCG) will further limit northbound movement for barges transiting the lower Mississippi River despite slightly higher water levels following Hurricane Francine's landfall late last week.

The USCG announced on 16 September that all northbound traffic traveling from Tunica, Mississippi, to Tiptonville, Tennessee, can only have five barges wide and only four of those can be loaded. Barges also cannot be loaded deeper than 9.5ft.

Any southbound traffic from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Tunica cannot move more than seven barges wide or be drafted deeper than 10.5ft. Southbound traffic from Tiptonville to Tunica can only be six barges wide or less and cannot have a draft greater than 10ft.

The USCG has updated lower Mississippi river draft restrictions about four times since the end of August, but this is the third year in a row of notable low water for the fall on the lower Mississippi river which has triggered draft restrictions to arrive more quickly than previous years.

Hurricane Francine brought significant rainfall to the lower Mississippi at the end of last week. But this has not eased the minds of mariners, who anticipate the water may leave as quickly as it arrived.

By Meghan Yoyotte

Sept 17 (Reuters) - South African coal miner Seriti Resources plans to cut 1,241 jobs to contain costs due to lower prices and persistent rail bottlenecks, the company said on Tuesday, a move the country's biggest mineworker union said it would fight.

Privately-owned Seriti is a major coal supplier to South Africa's thermal power stations and also exports some of its output.

The planned job cuts would impact workers at Middleburg mines and Klipspruit South-East pit, Seriti said in response to questions from Reuters. Both operations, which employed a combined 5,212 workers as of March 2024, were acquired from South32 (S32.AX),  in 2021.

Produksi batu bara yang melonjak pesat di China pada Agustus 2024 menyebabkan harga emas hitam merosot pada Senin, (16/9). Tepatnya di pasar ICE Newcastle, harga batu bara untuk kontrak pengiriman bulan ini mengalami penurunan sebesar 0,47%, sehingga tercatat hanya senilai US$ 137,25 per ton.

Penurunan ini mencerminkan dampak dari peningkatan produksi yang signifikan di China, yang mempengaruhi pasar global secara keseluruhan. Dampak dari anjloknya harga batu bara juga berimbas secara langsung pada pergerakan saham di sektor tambang domestik.

Misalnya pada penutupan perdagangan di sesi I Selasa (17/9) hari ini sejumlah perusahaan tambang mengalami pergerakan harga yang signifikan.

Saham ADRO (Adaro Energy), yang terafiliasi dengan konglomerat Garibaldi Thohir, turun 40 poin atau 1,09%, sehingga berada di level Rp 3.630 per saham.

Saham PT Bayan Resources Tbk (BYAN), yang dimiliki oleh Low Tuck Kwong dan beroperasi di Kalimantan Selatan dan Kalimantan Timur, turun 50 poin atau 0,30%, menjadi Rp 16.450 per saham

Kemudian saham PT Dian Swastika Sentosa Tbk (DSSA), yang merupakan perusahaan pertambangan dan perdagangan batu bara, tercatat mengalami penurunan 100 poin atau 0,24%, sehingga harga sahamnya turun menjadi Rp 41.250 per saham.

Di sisi lain, PT Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk (PTBA) mengalami penguatan harga sebesar 0,73%, menjadi Rp 2.750 per saham.

Sementara itu, PT Petrindo Jaya Kreasi Tbk (CUAN) mencatat kenaikan harga 25 poin atau 0,28%, sehingga mencapai Rp 8.900 per saham.

KONTAN.CO.ID-JAKARTA. PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), anak perusahaan PT Bumi Resources Tbk (BUMI) bakal gandeng mitra untuk menggarap proyek hilirisasi batubara.

Sebelumnya, Kementerian Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral (ESDM) menawarkan sejumlah peluang kerjasama hilirisasi batubara kepada investor China dalam ajang The 7th Indonesia China Energy Forum (ICEF) awal September lalu.

Direktur Pembinaan Pengusahaan Batubara Kementerian Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral Surya Herjuna mengatakan, sejauh ini rencana kerjasama baru diperoleh untuk proyek garapan KPC.

"Untuk saat ini hanya dari proyek Kutai Timur ada rencana kerjasama. Masih dalam proses, kami juga belum dapat legalitasnya," kata Surya kepada Kontan, Selasa (17/9).

Dikonfirmasi terpisah, Direktur dan Sekretaris Perusahaan BUMI Dileep Srivastava mengatakan, pihaknya berencana melakukan pengumuman pada akhir tahun ini.

"Akan ada kemungkinan untuk pengumuman (perkembangan proyek) sekitar akhir tahun ini," kata Dileep kepada Kontan, Selasa (17/9).

Dileep memastikan, sejauh ini belum ada perubahan rencana untuk proyek hilirisasi yang akan dilakukan oleh KPC dan PT Arutmin Indonesia.

Asal tahu saja, dalam proyek hilirisasi batubara ini, KPC akan memasok kebutuhan batubara untuk proyek gasifikasi di Bengalon sekitar 5 juta ton-6,5 juta ton per tahun dengan kualitas GAR 4.200 kcal per kg. Ketika beroperasi, pabrik tersebut dapat menghasilkan 1,8 juta ton per tahun metanol.

Sementara itu, PT Arutmin Indonesia semula merencanakan hilirisasi berupa proyek proyek coal to methanol  dengan kapasitas produksi 2,95 juta ton per tahun. Belakangan, Arutmin dikabarkan mengubah proyek hilirisasi inimenjadi coal to ammonia.