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Maharashtra to use sewage from cities to power coal plants

The idea will be implemented first at the Koradi thermal power plant, where waste water from Nagpur will be used to provide water linkages.

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To tide over the water crisis in the state and ensure that it is available for drinking and irrigation, the state government is planning to use sewage water from cities for generating power at its coal-based thermal power stations. The move will also help prevent situations where power plants have to be shut down due to non-availability of water.

The idea will be implemented first at the Koradi thermal power plant, where waste water from Nagpur will be used to provide water linkages for the three 660 MW supercritical power generating sets, set to be commissioned March onwards. Coal-based thermal power which, at 7,980 MW, accounts for the bulk (70%) of state-owned power generation utility Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited's (MahaGenco) 11,237 MW capacity, is a huge water guzzler.

"We plan to use sewage water to provide linkages for power plants. This can be done from large cities in the vicinity of these projects… This will help save water," said energy minister Chandrashekhar Bavankule. He added that at Koradi, the three supercritical units, which are the first of their kind in Maharashtra, will be provided waste water from Nagpur. Bavankule said they planned to extend this to the six other thermal power plants — at Parli, Paras, Bhusawal, Chandrapur, Nashik and Khaparkheda.

Presently, a 210 MW set at Parli has been shut down due to lack of water in the Khadka barrage. In 2012, the 1,130 MW project had been shut down for similar reasons and the 2,340 MW Chandrapur power plant, the largest in Maharashtra, faced a partial shutdown due to lack of water in 2010. Bavankule said the Parli project could get water from Nanded city.

"This (plan) will prevent power generation from closing down. Since water scarcity can come up anytime in the future, we need to plan for the long term,"  said Bavankule.

The minister said he had given directions for costs to be calculated in this regard if the MahaGenco or private parties are to lay down the system for transporting the water. The MahaGenco is in the process of commissioning 3,230 MW of fresh capacity by 2016.

Bavankule said they had asked the Centre to rationalise the supply of coal to MahaGenco's power plants from mines located in and around Maharashtra, which would increase power generation and help lower transportation and other costs by around Rs1.50 per unit. This benefit could be passed on to the consumers in the form of lower tariffs.

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