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India to explore clean coal technology: Goyal

India is planning to go for clean coal technology as the dry fuel will be mainstay in India's energy mix, Power Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday said, adding it will also help in country's efforts towards addressing environmental concerns. "We will look for technologies for clean coal as this will be the mainstay in India's fuel mix even as we strive to address climate concerns," Goyal said here while addressing at Indo-Japan Energy Forum organised by the CII. He said, "Strong bilateral relations between Japan and India to be further strengthened in the areas of energy cooperation and building smart cities." India has doubled its coal thermal capacity since 2007 and looking towards greater emphasis on clean coal technologies as coal will continue to be the predominant fuel. Emphasising on the importance of coal, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yoichi Miyazawa said, "Coal is geographically available and will remain an important energy source." Miyazawa further emphasised on how innovation in technology will help both countries fight climate change and bring about greater economic growth. Commending the NDA government for its emphasis on infrastructure and energy, he said, "India is now drawing attention from the rest of the world and will emerge as the third largest economy by 2035. The country's energy consumption is likely to double. To reduce the reliance on energy imports, the investments in energy infrastructure are timely." Elaborating the challenges being faced by both countries he said, "Economic efficiency, energy security and environment are common policy issues that the countries are grappling with. The possibilities for cooperation between the two countries in clean coal are enormous. The Government of Japan is keen to expand energy cooperation with India." Echoing similar views, Goyal said, "India and Japan can collaborate on the clean technology side. Japan has realised it is important to have thermal coal and is looking at putting in place 7200 MW over the next five years." "We are looking at doubling our generation from one trillion units to two trillion and our reliance on coal will continue. To improvise on the coal technology, both countries can work together and help to assuage the concerns on climate. We will be happy to take up the best technology to bring down the impact of coal on the environment," he added. Elaborating on renewable energy, Goyal further said, "India has set a 175 GW target for renewable energy and this will happen in the next five years. To achieve the targets, the minister said, "We are looking at innovative financing models. We are engaging with states to expand rooftops in a big way."

source: http://www.moneycontrol.com