Blog: Using Stubble to produce Power ? Takes 4 Years ?

Monday, 3 January 2022

Using Stubble to produce Power ? Takes 4 Years ?

Context :

Power plants may have to use stubble in fuel mix / HT / 03 Jan 2022

Extract :

A policy that has made it mandatory for coal-fuelled power projects to use biomass pellets as 5% of their fuel mix and help farmers earn around Rs.15,000 crore annually may find a mention in finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech, two government officials aware of the development said.

The plan, tentatively named SAMARTH, is part of the government's strategy to support India's energy transition and check pollution from crop-stubble burning by converting them into pellets and facilitating their sale.

The pellets are mixed with coal to generate electricity.

With India's power plants consuming around 700 million tonnes (mt) of coal every year, a 5% blend will result in around 35 mt less of coal being burnt, helping reduce carbon emission

“ It has been mandated that all thermal power plants use 5 % blend of biomass pellets , made primarily , of agro-residue ,along with coal, with effect from one year of the date of issue of this guide line. The obligation shall increase to 7 % ( except for those having ball and tube mill , the use of biomass remain 5 % ), with effect from two years after the date of this order “ , according to the October 8 Revised Policy for Biomass Utilization for Power Generation through co-firing in coal-based power plants

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MY TAKE :

“ Fast Backwards “ to 2017

Amrinder Singhji has no excuse !.................................. [ 20 Nov 2017 ]

Extract :

DNA ( 17 Nov 2017 )

“ How much paddy stubble can we use in thermal power plants ? “

A four member bench of The National Green Tribunal , headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar directed NTPC to submit by next Tuesday as to how much crop or paddy residue it can use as raw material with coal to produce electricity

Indian Express ( 18 Nov 2017 )

“ NTPC to buy farm stubble at Rs 5,500 per tonne “

Power Minister R K Singh on Thursday said that state-run NTPC will float tender to buy farm stubble at Rs 5,500 per tonne for power plants , a move that will check farmers from burning it – a key source of pollution in in NCR

He said this move will help farmers earn around Rs 11,000 per acre from the sale of straw

“ On an average a farmer gets around 2 tonnes of stubble or straw in an acre “ , said Singh at a press conference

Now , Punjab farmers grow paddy in 3 million acres

That means 6 million tonnes of stubble ( @ 2 tonnes / acre )

At Rs 5,500 per tonne , this will amount to Rs 3,300 crore of windfall income - all in a span of 15 days !

And to enable this , all that is required is 30,000 pairs of machines ( costing , approx. Rs 600 crores )

For details , read :

Smogin Brain ? [ 10 Nov 2017 ]

In this blog ( emailed to Policy Makers ), I had suggested that Shri Amrinder Singhji ( CM – Punjab ), allot Rs 600 crore to buy those 30,000 pairs of machines, to be owned by a FARM HELP SPV and which can remove those 6 million tonnes of stubble within a small window of 15 days

Imagine the SPV recovering ( through renting of machines ), Rs 600 crores in 15 days – leaving a neat sum of Rs 2,600 crore in the hands of the farmers-( Rs 3300 - 600 cr )

I wonder :

Can any Chief Minister have any excuse not to help farmers of his own State and millions of residents of a neighbouring state ?

With regards,

Hemen Parekh / hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 04 Jan 2022

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