Economic Case for Green Steel Production in India
India is the world’s second-largest producer of crude steel, with output of 149 million tonnes in 2024, approximately 8% of global production.
India’s Green Steel Turning Point
India’s steel sector remains heavily dependent on imported coking coal. India’s next phase
of steel expansion would lock the country into more than US$1 trillion in coking coal
imports over the life of these assets, with material implications for energy security, foreign-exchange exposure, and export competitiveness.
The Economic Case for Green Steel Production in India
India’s steel sector remains heavily dependent on imported coking coal. Planned expansion of blast-furnace capacity to approximately 180–195 MTPA by 2030–31 would lock in over $1 trillion in coal imports over a 40-year asset life, deepening India’s energy import dependence, foreign-exchange exposure, and vulnerability to carbon border measures in export markets.
OPINION: Record-low green hydrogen prices offer a way out
India’s steel expansion risks locking in coking coal imports and losing competitiveness under carbon rules. Record low green hydrogen costs enable green steel at the same cost as coal-based steel, avoiding both risks.
Electrifying Industrial Heat in India | Technologies and Policies to Transform Indian Manufacturing
India’s industrial sector is an economic powerhouse, providing 19.5 million jobs and 17 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector is rapidly becoming the backbone of the modern Indian economy, manufacturing everything from the steel and cement that propel industrialization to the cars and electronics that can lift millions out of poverty.
OPINION: India’s gas crunch and air pollution demand an electric heat strategy
India’s latest gas shortages, triggered by the current Middle East conflict, highlight how vulnerable its industrial energy system remains.
Clean Energy as Economic Statecraft: Ten Strategies for Powering Viksit Bharat 2047
India has crossed a structural threshold: clean energy is no longer a climate choice; it is now economic statecraft. Handled strategically, it can halve economy-wide energy costs and halve fossil-fuel imports by mid-century, converting over US$200 billion per year currently spent on fuel imports into domestic capital formation and infrastructure investment. This would deliver a decisive boost to industrial competitiveness, energy security, and trade stability. Managed poorly, however, it risks remaining a fragmented sectoral transition, leaving India exposed to import volatility, fuel-price shocks, and stranded capital.
Heat Stress Monitoring for Outdoor Workers, Powered by EHI-N*
SHRAM provides real-time heat stress monitoring across India using EHI-N*, a physiologically-based model calibrated to MET levels developed by the IECC team. EHI-6* estimates heat stress experienced by workers doing heavy labor in direct sunlight.
View current conditions by district, 3-day forecasts, and sign up for personalized alerts when hazardous heat levels are detected.
EHI-N*: A Modified Extended Heat Index for Laboring Populations
Approximately 2.4 billion workers perform manual labor globally, yet current heat stress indices are calibrated to sedentary individuals, systematically underestimating risk for active workers.
Scaling data-driven heat action planning using CHAITRA – City Heat Action Intelligence and Risk Atlas
Over 250 Indian cities have adopted Heat Action Plans (HAPs), but fewer than a handful include ward-level vulnerability assessments or translate risk data into quantified intervention needs.