Coal India aims to be net-zero carbon emitter in three or four years

State-run Coal India COAL.NS, the world's largest miner of the fuel by output, plans to become a net-zero carbon emitter in three to four years, its chairman, Pramod Agrawal, said on Monday.

The firm's foray into renewable energy, greater internal energy efficiency, cleaner transport and efforts to boost green cover at all sites are expected to contribute to the net-zero target, Agrawal told an industry gathering.

"We plan that maybe in the next three to four years, we should become a net-zero company," Agrawal said in a presentation to the 15th Indian Coal Markets Conference.

"We have a lot of land, we can install solar parks in our area of operations and use that energy, and that would help us in a big way to become a net-zero company."

Agrawal said coal users, such as thermal power stations, were bigger contributors to rising carbon emissions, adding that Coal India was often unfairly blamed even though it used less energy.

"If we want a system in which environmental protection happens, we have to see how we can utilise coal efficiently," he added.