Summary Fossil fuel-fired power output rises fastest in nearly 3 decadesEmissions from power gen rose nearly a sixth to 1.15 bln tonnesCoal-fired power output up 12.4%, gas-fired output down 29%Share of coal in overall power output rose to 73.1%Renewables output rose 21.7%, share up to 11.8%SINGAPORE, April 5 (Reuters) - India's power generation grew at the fastest pace in over three decades in the just-ended fiscal year, a Reuters analysis of government data showed, fuelling a sharp surge in emissions as output from both coal-fired and renewable plants hit records. In the new fiscal year that began April 1, Indian power plants are expected to burn about 8% more coal. That is 3.4% of the International Energy Agency's estimate of annual global emissions of 33.8 billion tonnes in 2022. The government has defended India's high coal use citing lower per capita emissions compared with richer nations and rising renewable energy output. The green energy output helped prevent as much as 32.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from power that would otherwise likely have been produced with coal, calculations show.

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