As demand for critical minerals grows alongside the global transition to clean energy, India’s state-owned coal mining companies face new opportunities and urgent questions about how to decarbonize their businesses and reduce emissions, repurpose mines and, and support long-term economic development.
Nicholas Institute experts are helping advance sustainable development across India’s coal sector through a five-year memorandum of understanding with Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Limited (CMPDI), the key technical planning subsidiary of state-owned Coal India Limited.
Initiated in 2026, the research and strategic collaboration focuses on critical minerals, repurposing mines and post-mining land, decarbonizing operations, reducing methane emissions, and identifying commercially viable opportunities that support sustainable development. Scholars who are part of Duke University’s interdisciplinary Critical Minerals Hub are contributing to the effort.
