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.