Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy will attend a Road Show promoting Surface Coal and Lignite Gasification in New Delhi on 28 May 2026. The event is part of the government's sustained push to develop domestic coal reserves into value-added energy products, reducing India's dependence on imported natural gas and chemicals.

Context

Kishan Reddy announced his participation through a post on X, stating he 'will be attending the Road Show to promote Surface Coal/Lignite Gasification' scheduled for 28 May 2026 in New Delhi. The announcement signals the Ministry of Coal's continued engagement with industry stakeholders on one of its flagship clean-coal initiatives. Road shows of this nature typically bring together project developers, technology providers, and potential investors to accelerate on-ground uptake.

Policy Backdrop

Surface Coal Gasification is a thermochemical process that converts coal or lignite into syngas — a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide — which can be used as feedstock for fertilizers, chemicals, and synthetic fuels. In 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a national target to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030, embedding gasification firmly within India's energy-security agenda.

The Ministry of Coal has since worked to operationalise this target by identifying coal-bearing regions suitable for surface gasification projects and engaging both public-sector undertakings and private players. The initiative is aligned with the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat framework, which seeks to monetise India's vast domestic coal reserves rather than rely on costly energy imports.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of a successful gasification scale-up span several sectors: coal miners stand to gain from higher-value utilisation of reserves, while the chemical and fertilizer industries could access domestically produced syngas as a substitute for imported natural gas. Lignite-rich states in particular could see new industrial investment if pilot projects demonstrate commercial viability.

For consumers, a shift toward domestic syngas-derived fertilizers could eventually ease input costs in agriculture, a sector sensitive to global gas price volatility. The road show format is designed to compress the gap between policy intent and private-sector commitment by presenting investment opportunities directly to decision-makers.

What's Next

Observers will watch for concrete outcomes from the road show, including expressions of interest from project developers, announcements on viability-gap funding, and timelines for state-level pilot plants in coal-bearing regions. Progress on follow-up project tenders will be a key indicator of whether the event translates ministerial intent into actionable investment. The 2030 gasification target leaves limited runway, making near-term project commitments critical to the programme's credibility.