India is among the developing nations which are looking to the developed nations to share the latest clean coal technology
Coal is a dirty word at the Paris summit and India has been put in the line of fire for using it for its power needs. The debate, many say, is skewed in favor of the narrative of developed nations who do not want to give up 'carbon space' to the developing nations.
300 million in India are still without the supply of electricity and coal is among the prime sources for the country to meet its growing energy needs.
India is among the developing nations which are looking to the developed nations to share the latest clean coal technology.
India's coal plants that use "super critical" technology improve efficiency by 4-5 per cent and translates into emission reduction of 10 per cent. Germany is using advanced super critical coal technologies which cuts emissions even further.
Currently countries including the US, Germany and Japan are doing further research on bringing down emissions from coal burning but neither of the countries are sharing it with each other or with the developing nations.
'In the interest of climate change goal there should be a pool of research so that the benefit of whatever research has been done and whatever research is to come is jointly shared and world's CO2 imprint on the climate is further reduced by a joint effort," AK Jha, Chairperson and Managing Director of NTPC Limited told NDTV.
But the developed countries are not forthcoming on the subject, perhaps because they profit from the Intellectual Property Rights.
Indian officials say that have also invested in research and development to bring the emissins down, but it will be quicker if developed nations would share its clean technology, adding that India could make coal plants more efficient within 5 years.
The officials added that the developed nations are much to blame for the carbon emissions.
"Coal has been made an issue to divert attention from the increasing use of fossil fuels like gas in the US," said Chandra Bhushan Director General, Centre for Science and Environment.
By 2030, India's coal consumption would be same as the US. But in per capita terms, India will be using one-third of what the US will use.