Enough new coal mining projects were proposed last year to increase global supplies by 2.5 billion tonnes a year, an increase of 11% from the year before, even as demand for coal plateaus.
Global Energy Monitor found that India ignited a rise in new coal mine proposals in 2025 despite a global slowdown in the number of mine openings because of falling demand for the fossil fuel.
The increase was driven almost entirely by the states of Jharkhand and Odisha, which doubled their proposals for new coal mines in line with an ambitious plan from India’s ministry of coal to increase the country’s output.
India plans to increase its coal production by nearly 100 million tonnes to 1.15 billion tonnes in the 2025-26 fiscal year to help meet the country’s rising demand for electricity to support economic growth and contend with heatwaves, which have become more severe and more frequent because of the climate crisis.
