India will have the fastest-growing energy demand in the world over the next 10 years, mainly because of its large population and growing needs in all areas, says a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The report, called World Energy Outlook 2024, explains that even though India is working towards clean energy, coal will still be an important part of its energy supply for many years.

The report says that India will build about 60 gigawatts of new coal power plants by 2030. While some old coal plants will close, coal will still be a big part of India’s energy. India, which became the world's most populated country in 2023, depends a lot on coal for industries like steel, cement, and manufacturing.

In 2023, 40% of the energy used by industries came from coal, and the IEA expects coal use in these industries to grow by 50% by 2035. Also, coal power plants, which provided 75% of India’s electricity in 2023–24, will likely produce 15% more electricity over the next 10 years.

 

Rapid growth in energy-intensive sectors

 

The IEA report shows that some areas in India that use a lot of energy are growing quickly. For example, over 12,000 new cars will be added to Indian roads every day until 2035. Also, the number of buildings will increase by over 1 billion square metres each year, which is more than all the buildings in South Africa.

India's iron and steel production is expected to increase by 70% by 2035, and cement production is expected to grow by nearly 55%. The use of air conditioners will also rise more than 4.5 times by 2035. The electricity needed just for air conditioners will be more than the total electricity used by Mexico in that same year.

 

Energy demand to grow by 35% by 2035

 

India's total energy demand is expected to grow by about 35% by 2035, and the amount of electricity the country can produce will likely triple, reaching 1,400 gigawatts. Even though it aims to reach net zero emissions by 2070, the IEA report suggests that coal will continue to play a big role in the country’s energy plan for many years, helping meet the growing energy needs in different sectors.