AI Pushes India Back to Coal

Analysts now project India will run a 1–4% power deficit by FY34–35 and may need roughly 140 GW more coal capacity by 2035 than in 2023 to meet rising demand. AI‑driven data centers (5–6 GW by 2030) and their 5–7x power draw vs legacy racks intensify evening peaks that solar can’t cover, exposing a diurnal mismatch. — It spotlights how AI load can force emerging economies into coal ‘bridge’ expansions that complicate global decarbonization narratives.

Sources

What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy? - Our World in Data

2026.01.05 60% relevant

OWID’s core claim—that fossil fuels are the dirtiest and most dangerous—connects to the notion that rising, concentrated electricity demand (e.g., from data centers or AI) can force coal expansion in emerging economies, underscoring a practical trade‑off between energy demand growth and the imperative to avoid high‑mortality, high‑emissions fuels.

India's Grid Cannot Keep Up With Its Ambitions

msmash 2025.10.07 100% relevant

Goldman Sachs’ deficit forecast and coal gap; Bernstein’s 5–6 GW data‑center forecast; HSBC’s 5–7x AI rack power.