Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy on Thursday, June 11, 2026, hosted a live roadshow in Hyderabad to promote Surface Coal and Lignite Gasification, marking a fresh push by the Ministry of Coal to accelerate adoption of the technology across industry and state governments.

Context

The roadshow, broadcast live and shared by the minister on social media, is part of a series of state-capital outreach events the Ministry of Coal has been conducting to attract investment and build state-level participation in India's coal gasification mission. Hyderabad, as the capital of Telangana and a hub for chemical and industrial activity, is a strategic venue for such engagement. G. Kishan Reddy also serves as the BJP Telangana state president, giving the event both a policy and a regional political significance.

Policy Backdrop

In 2020, the Ministry of Coal announced a national target to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030. Surface Coal Gasification, or SCG, converts coal and lignite into syngas — a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane — that can be used as a feedstock for fertilisers, chemicals and cleaner fuels, reducing India's dependence on imported natural gas and petroleum products. The initiative sits within the broader Atmanirbhar Bharat energy strategy and complements existing coal-to-liquid and underground gasification pilots being run across coalfields.

India holds some of the world's largest coal and lignite reserves, yet a significant share of its chemical and fertiliser sector relies on imported feedstocks. Gasification is seen as a way to monetise domestic reserves while improving the environmental profile of coal use by capturing and utilising combustion by-products more efficiently.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of a scaled-up gasification programme span multiple sectors: Coal India Ltd and Singareni Collieries Company Ltd — the dominant state-run miners — stand to gain new revenue streams from coal blocks that may otherwise be uneconomical to mine conventionally. The power sector, fertiliser manufacturers and the petrochemical industry are all potential off-takers of syngas produced through SCG. Roadshows of this kind are designed to bring these stakeholders together with state governments and potential private investors to map out project pipelines and address regulatory or logistical bottlenecks.

For Telangana specifically, Singareni Collieries — a joint venture between the state government and the central government — operates significant lignite and coal assets in the region, making the state a natural early mover in any gasification roll-out.

What's Next

Policy watchers will look for concrete outcomes from the Hyderabad roadshow: expressions of interest from private investors, memoranda of understanding with state agencies, or announcements of pilot project sites. Longer term, the sector is watching for tender awards by Coal India Ltd and Singareni Collieries and any new fiscal incentives that may be introduced in the next Union Budget to de-risk early-stage gasification investments. The ministry's continued roadshow calendar will indicate how seriously the centre intends to push the 100 million tonne gasification target toward the 2030 deadline.