Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is partnering with Coal India Limited (CIL) to launch a Centre for Sustainable Energy to accelerate India’s transition toward a low-carbon and sustainable energy future.

This strategic collaboration will focus on ensuring India’s long-term energy security while supporting the national commitment to achieve Net-Zero Emissions by 2070.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy will serve as a Centre of Excellence, fostering cutting-edge research, innovation, and technology development for sustainable energy solutions. It will bring together institutions and industries from across India and the world to develop economically viable and environmentally responsible pathways for the optimal use of India’s energy resources, both in the short and long term.

An MoU for this collaboration was signed on 22 October 2025
by Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, and Mr Achut Ghatak, Director Technical in the presence of Mr. P. M. Prasad, Chairman, Coal India Limited and the leadership and stakeholders from both organizations.

Welcoming this partnership, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Industry–academia collaborations have been a cornerstone of IIT Madras’ journey toward leading India’s transition to a low-carbon economy. Our partnership with Coal India Limited epitomises our commitment to this cause. Together, we aim to develop scalable and impactful solutions that support our nation’s sustainable energy future.”

Speaking on the occasion, Shri P.M. Prasad, Chairman, CIL, said that Coal India is transforming from being the nation’s energy provider to becoming a key enabler of India’s clean energy transition.

“This MoU marks a historic step in Coal India’s journey toward sustainable growth. Through this collaboration with IIT Madras, Coal India aims to generate indigenous solutions that ensure energy security, decarbonization, and socioeconomic progress,” Shri P.M. Prasad

This new centre will be led by Prof. Satyanarayanan Seshadri, Head, The Energy Consortium, IIT Madras, and Prof. Rajnish Kumar, Head, The School of Sustainability, IIT Madras.

The Centre will focus on establishing excellence in sustainable energy, positioning itself as a world-class hub addressing the complex challenges of India’s energy transition. It aims to keep the future of Coal India and the country’s broader energy security and development agenda at the core of all research and innovation activities.

Coal continues to form the foundation of India’s energy security, contributing to over 85 percent of the nation’s energy needs. However, it also holds the key to enabling India’s transition toward sustainability.

As the country’s pre-eminent energy resource provider, Coal India Limited is uniquely placed to evolve into an energy provider of the future by leveraging its vast assets, including land for renewable energy projects, spent mines for innovative repurposing and storage, and coal resources as feedstock for clean fuels, chemicals, and high-value materials.

The Centre’s research will span four major focus areas:

1. Sustainable Materials and Circular Economy,

2. Mine Repurposing and Fleet Electrification,

3. Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, and

4. Materials for Energy Storage from Coal.

The initial phase of projects will include the development of sustainable polymer composites using coal additives, recovery of valuable minerals and metals from solar panel and battery recycling, safe electrification of vehicles and mining equipment, assessment of mine-to-data centre conversions, exploration of energy storage opportunities in mined-out zones, and feasibility studies for Micro Modular Nuclear Reactors (MMR).

Other research efforts will focus on bio-based micromotors for the photocatalytic removal of pollutants from coal mine wastewater, and the development of coal-derived bulk and two-dimensional graphenic materials for advanced electrodes and membranes. These efforts aim to create futuristic materials such as bipolar plates, carbon paper, and carbon felt for next-generation clean energy applications.

By combining Coal India’s industrial scale and operational experience with IIT Madras’ research and innovation leadership, the Centre will develop solutions that are technically feasible, economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible. This partnership represents a historic opportunity to redefine India’s energy landscape and position Coal India Limited as a global leader in innovation-driven sustainability.