 
.gif)
|
Signature Sponsor
August 5, 2024 - This exclusive report has compiled key facts and figures on the Adani Group’s coal-mining operations in India, Indonesia and Australia. The figures have been obtained from official Adani Group sources such as annual reports and applications for environmental approval. The result is a disturbing picture of the Group’s mines and proposed mines. Currently, Adani companies are extracting coal at 68 million tonnes per annum. New mines proposed by the Group would increase that by 78 million tonnes per annum. The current mines plus the proposed mines contain coal reserves of over seven billion tonnes, a horrifying amount of carbon to be added to the Earth’s atmosphere if Adani’s plans are implemented. The Adani Group has been described as the world’s largest private developer of coal. The Group runs big coal-power stations and develops big coal mines. It is the coal-mining part of Adani’s agenda that is detailed here. Table 1 gives details of the Adani Group’s operational and proposed coal mines in India, Indonesia and Australia. AdaniWatch has compiled this using project-specific information disclosed by the company in its annual reports, in its applications for environmental approvals and in other publicly available sources. A larger version of the table which provides additional information, such as the Adani subsidiary involved with each coal-mining project, can be found here.
The Adani Group already operates six large coal mines and has proposed to more than double its coal mining in the coming years, with at least 16 proposed new coal mines in the pipeline. The Adani Group’s existing coal mines As of July 2024, the Adani Group has six operational coal mines. The four in India are the Parsa East Kente Basan mine in the Hasdeo forests of Chhattisgarh; the nearby Gare Pelma-III mine; the Talabira II and III mine in Odisha; and the Suliyari coal mine in Madhya Pradesh. All of these are so-called MDO mines, in which Adani is a ‘mine developer and operator’ (in other words, a contractor) for the government-owned energy utilities that own the mines.
The Adani Group’s other two coal mines are the infamous Carmichael coal mine in Australia and the lesser-known coal mine on Bunyu island, North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Carmichael mine commenced operations in 2021 despite widespread opposition from Aboriginal people and concerned citizens across Australia and the world. The Bunyu mine has been operational since 2006 and was the subject of a 2019 case study by an Indonesian environmental NGO. Together these mines have the capacity to extract 68 million tonnes of coal per year (as of July 2024). Their leases cover about 538 square kilometres. They have total reserves of over 2.3 billion tonnes of coal. See Table 1 for details. Proposed new mines: Adani’s plan to double coal mining The Adani Group proposes to more than double its coal-mining output. The 16 proposed new coal mines in the pipeline have coal reserves of over 5.2 billion tonnes. From these mines, the Adani Group proposes to extract well over 78 million tonnes of coal every year, more than its current output of 68 million tonnes. (This is an underestimate, since the Adani Group has not disclosed the anticipated extraction rates for four of its proposed mines.) Establishment of these mines would involve clearing over 153 square km of forest. While some details of these new projects have been individually reported in the media, the Group has not reported cumulative figures. See Table 1 for details.
Most of these coal projects depend on acquisition of land from local landowners (mostly farmers). Local consent and tie-up financing are also requirements that, in many cases, are pending. But if the past is anything to go by, most of Adani’s proposed coal mines are likely to be approved. In total – proposed plus existing coal mines The existing coal mines operated and/or owned by Adani companies plus those proposed come to 22 individual coal-mining projects with over 7.6 billion tonnes of coal. They cover over 89,000 ha of land, including over 18,000 ha of forest (or what was forest before excavation commenced). AdaniWatch has used estimates of mineable reserves wherever these have been disclosed, otherwise we have used the geological reserve estimates, which are generally higher.
Adani’s coal-mining businesses and climate change The proposals demonstrate the Adani Group’s optimism about the future of coal mining, particularly in India. Even as climate change forces the world to move away from coal, Adani companies are more than doubling their coal output. In published Q&A sessions with investment analysts, company officials have been very bullish about the prospects of coal. If the Group’s plans come to fruition, Adani’s carbon footprint will grow massively, making it harder to accept its claim that it is moving towards greener forms of energy.
Indeed, the Group’s proposals sharply contrast with its publicity blitzkrieg showcasing its renewable-energy projects. By contrast, Adani’s coal-mining plans are significantly under-reported. The Adani Group’s coal-mining operations will clearly be a globally serious contributor to climate change in the coming decades. In India, the Modi government has set itself the ambitious target of meeting 50% of the country’s energy requirements from renewable sources by the year 2030. The government has also committed to achieving net-zero emissions by the year 2070. However, in contrast to these policies, coal continues to contribute a very high proportion of the total electrical energy generated in India. According to a government website, as of July 2024, coal-power generation represented about 49% of India’s power-generation capacity. The Adani Group’s coal-mining plans and local communities
On the ground, communities across central and eastern India have been experiencing the impacts of the Adani Group’s acquisition of their farmlands and forests for the past decade. The area covered by the Adani Group’s proposed new coal mines in India is 35,364 ha (over 353 square kilometres). Nearly half of this land is under forest cover (over 150 square kilometres of forest). See Table 1 for details. The tentacles of the Adani Group’s colossal coal-mining businesses penetrate deep into the socio-economic fabric of local communities in Indian states such as Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Indigenous people, farmers, scientists and other environmentalists are vocal critics of India’s expanding coal-mining sector and its impacts on farmland, forests, water resources, villages and the indigenous way of life.
Local communities in Chhattisgarh, particularly in the Parsa and Kente group of coal mines, have vehemently opposed Adani’s coal projects due to their encroachment upon their ancestral lands – the ecologically fragile Hasdeo forests. Tribal groups have persistently protested against the loss and fragmentation of forestland, highlighting threats to their livelihoods and an elephant habitat. The election of a BJP government committed to coal exploitation in Chhattisgarh at the end of 2023 led to a resumption of operations to expand the operational Parsa Kente East Basan (PEKB) coal mine.
In another part of Chhattisgarh, the Pelma group of mines has faced strong opposition from local communities due to concerns over environmental pollution from existing mines and thermal power projects, and lack of transparency in land acquisition. The nullification of environmental clearance for the Gare Pelma II coal project in January 2024 by India’s premier environment court, the National Green Tribunal, validated the grievances raised by the communities.
Similarly, in the Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh, the Suliyari coal project has drawn criticism for its adverse impacts on water bodies, natural vegetation and settlements along transport routes. The existence of tribal communities, such as the Baigas, a particularly vulnerable tribe which has been dependent on forest resources in the Singrauli coalfields for generations, is threatened by the ecological disruptions caused by the Adani Group’s cluster of coal-mining projects in the region.
In Odisha, the Talabira mines have provoked community anger over inadequate compensation for displaced communities and pollution caused by the trucking of coal on local roads. Similarly, the proposed Bijahan mine faces opposition from local communities over land acquisition and environmental degradation, prompting legal challenges and directives from the courts to the state government to reconsider aspects of the mines’ approvals. In Jharkhand, the ‘Gondulpara’ project (misnamed after the village Gondalpura) has encountered strong resistance within affected villages, with support from India’s federation of civil-society groups, the National Alliance for Peoples’ Movements. Attempts by government officials to initiate preparatory works for the coal project were met with fierce opposition, highlighting the determination of local communities to protect their land and livelihoods.
In Maharashtra, the Gondkhairi project has sparked outrage due to the likely impacts of its proposed underground mining operations on water tables and therefore agriculture. Protests caused the premature termination of a public hearing regarding the proposed mine, underscoring the discontent among local communities over the project’s environmental implications. Overall, these episodes reflect a widespread and persistent resistance against Adani’s coal projects, driven by concerns for environmental conservation, livelihood protection, community well-being and the rights of indigenous peoples. Local impacts and community responses in detail INDIA CHHATTISGARH Parsa and Kente group mine and projects
Pelma mines and projects
|
|
