Chennai: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and Coal India Limited (CIL) have joined hands to establish a Centre for Sustainable Energy, aimed at accelerating India's shift toward a low-carbon and sustainable energy future while ensuring long-term energy security.

An MoU for the initiative was signed on Wednesday 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 other senior officials.

The new centre, to be led by Prof. Satyanarayanan Seshadri, Head of the Energy Consortium, and Prof. Rajnish Kumar, Head of the School of Sustainability, will serve as a Centre of Excellence fostering research and innovation in sustainable materials, circular economy, mine repurposing, fleet electrification, environmental remediation, and energy storage materials derived from coal.

Prof. Kamakoti said the collaboration exemplified IIT Madras' commitment to developing scalable solutions for India's sustainable energy goals. Mr. Prasad noted that the initiative marked a historic step in Coal India's transformation “from being the nation's energy provider to an enabler of clean energy transition.”

The initial projects will explore recycling of solar panels and batteries, safe vehicle electrification in mining operations, mine-to-data centre conversions, and development of advanced carbon-based materials for clean energy applications.

By combining Coal India's industrial expertise with IIT Madras' research capabilities, the partnership seeks to create technically viable and environmentally responsible solutions aligned with India's Net-Zero 2070 vision.