India's steel sector is on the verge of a major expansion, and the type of plants built in the next few years will determine the country's emissions for decades. A recent article in The Hindu makes the case that acting now, before new coal-based capacity is locked in, is far cheaper than trying to retrofit or retire those plants later. The piece focuses on the investment decisions happening today, not distant targets. For anyone tracking carbon markets or industrial decarbonization, this is a reminder that emissions are baked in at the project planning stage. Once a coal-based steel plant is financed and built, it becomes a 40-year liability. The opportunity is to shift that pipeline before the concrete is poured.
