According to environmental experts, major coastal coal-fired power plants such as Tata's Trombay Thermal power plant and Adani's Mundra power plant use imported bituminous coal. Imported coal is often mixed with domestic coal, that has 40-50% ash content, to arrive at a better efficiency and to control pollution.
Relaxing earlier restrictions, an expert panel of the environment ministry has recommended a two-fold increase in the ash content of imported coal from 12% to 25%, giving in to demands of the Association of Power Producers (APP), who are highly dependant on the imported fossil fuel. In 2013, the ministry had issued an office memorandum restricting the ash content in imported coal to a maximum of 12%. In this context, the APP made a request to the expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the environment ministry stating that coastal power plants were unable to utilize high grade bituminous steal coal from Australia, South Africa, Russia and Colombia.
According to environmental experts, major coastal coal-fired power plants such as Tata's Trombay Thermal power plant and Adani's Mundra power plant use imported bituminous coal. Imported coal is often mixed with domestic coal, that has 40-50% ash content, to arrive at a better efficiency and to control pollution.
Their submission added, that the plants were using Indonesian coal with low calorific value and high moisture content, that resulted in reduced efficiency and increased coal consumption. This coal, the submission claimed, reduced efficiency and increased costs to power plants. The Central Electricity Authority's (CEA) opinion too was sought on the issue.
The CEA observed that "lesser the ash generation, lesser would be its environmental impacts. However, by restricting the ash content up to 12 %, the source of coal gets restricted to a particular origin and thus the price competitiveness may have to be compromised. This may also be contrary to the objectives of the Competitive Bidding Guidelines and the Electricity Act, 2003." Based on the CEA's observations and deliberations within the EAC, it was recommended to increase the ash content to 25%.
Researchers from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that increasing the ash content may lead to an increase in pollution. "The decision to allow use of high ash content imported coal will surely help the power plants in rationalising their resources and lower costs. But, coal with high ash content may also lead to an increase in suspended particulate matter and sulphur emissions. The pollution load will load will depend on how well the companies are equipped", said Sanjeev Kumar Kancha, senior researcher, CSE.
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