Coal will remain Bharat’s main source of
energy for years to come, a top government official said on Thursday,
underscoring its commitment to the use of the fossil fuel as the UN’s COP28
climate summit opens in Dubai.
“Coal is, and would, remain an important
part of Bharat’s energy needs,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told
reporters ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Dubai.
Reuters reported that Bharat, which
depends on coal for 73 per cent of its energy needs, is scrambling to add 17
gigawatts of coal-based power generation capacity at its fastest pace in recent
years to meet a record increase in power demand.
Bharat and China oppose any attempt to
block construction of coal-fired power stations for their energy-hungry
economies, while France, backed by United States, plans to seek a halt to
private financing for these plants at COP28, sources said.
Kwatra said Bharat expects a clear
roadmap on climate financing at COP28 and has always been upfront about its
support for a “loss-and-damage” fund aimed at helping countries recover from
environmental degradation caused by industrial development.
“Loss and damage fund will be of great
benefit to developing countries,” he added.
Reuters
