India's core industrial sector grew by 1.7 percent in April 2026. This growth was primarily driven by significant increases in cement and steel production, which rose by 9.4 percent and 6.2 percent respectively. While electricity production remained strong, other sectors like coal and crude oil showed weakness. The continued expansion of heavy industry highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing industrial growth with national decarbonization goals.
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Cement up nearly 10 percent is a massive emissions hit. Unless there is a huge shift toward low carbon clinker or carbon capture, this growth just offsets any gains made in the power grid.
Agreed. The electricity sector is helping the numbers, but I wonder if that power is coming from new renewables or just more coal to keep up with the steel mills. What is the actual capacity factor for the new additions?
The gap between industrial momentum and climate policy is wide here. India needs a concrete carbon pricing mechanism for steel and cement if they want to decouple this growth from emissions.
Exactly. Without a clear incentive for green hydrogen in steel, these growth numbers are just a reminder of how hard the hard to abate sectors actually are.
