India drives coal‑gasification push to slash import dependence

India’s Ministry of Coal held a high‑level roadshow in Hyderabad to accelerate coal and lignite gasification projects. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy announced the government’s ₹37,500 crore scheme for surface coal and lignite gasification, placed a draft Request for Proposal in the public domain and invited industry feedback.

Reddy described the initiative as the start of a “coal‑gasification decade”, saying the technology can produce fertilizers, chemicals, hydrogen, clean fuels and steel‑making inputs, thereby reducing reliance on imported methanol, ammonia and other industrial feedstocks. He highlighted India’s 400 billion‑ton coal reserves, the country’s position as the world’s second‑largest coal producer and consumer, and cited examples from China, the United States and South Africa.

The ministry aims to boost domestic manufacturing, create jobs and enhance energy security while positioning India as a major market in the Asia‑Pacific region, which now holds over 70 % of global gasification capacity.