Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday, June 11, 2026, expressed confidence that India is poised to enter what he called the 'decade of coal gasification,' speaking at a Ministry of Coal roadshow held in Hyderabad aimed at accelerating the country's coal gasification mission.

Context

At the Hyderabad roadshow, Minister Reddy stated that the event would 'further strengthen momentum and accelerate the country's coal gasification journey.' He also extended thanks to state governments for partnering with the Government of India in this mission, assuring them that the Centre would 'walk shoulder to shoulder' in making the initiative a 'grand success.'

Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Dubey, senior officials of the Ministry of Coal, industry leaders, representatives from various ministries and public sector undertakings, state government officers, researchers and other distinguished delegates were present at the occasion.

Policy Backdrop

India's coal gasification push traces back to 2020, when the government announced a national target to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030. The objective is to convert domestic coal reserves into syngas — a feedstock usable for chemicals, fertilisers and cleaner power generation — thereby reducing the country's dependence on imported natural gas and petroleum products.

The Ministry of Coal has adopted a series of state-level roadshows as part of a federal implementation model, pairing central funding and technology targets with state-level project facilitation. Coal India Limited, the country's largest public sector coal mining company, is expected to play a central role in implementing gasification projects under this framework.

Stakeholders and Impact

The Hyderabad roadshow brought together a cross-section of stakeholders including coal public sector undertakings, chemical industry representatives and officials from multiple state governments. Their participation signals broad institutional buy-in for what the Centre is positioning as a cornerstone of India's energy security and import substitution strategy.

State governments are being cast as active partners rather than passive recipients, a framing Minister Reddy reinforced with his assurance of a shoulder-to-shoulder approach. This is significant given that coal-bearing states hold considerable sway over land acquisition and local project clearances that can determine the pace of on-ground implementation.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to whether the Hyderabad roadshow produces concrete follow-through in the form of fresh tenders, pilot project allocations or new memoranda of understanding between the Ministry of Coal and state governments. The broader coal gasification mission runs parallel to India's expanding renewable energy capacity, and the government's ability to advance both tracks simultaneously will be closely watched by industry and policy observers in the months ahead.