No
It seems more of a
case of “ Policy Paralysis “ due to “ Endless Analysis “ !
Context :
Power
Ministry Revises Biomass Co-Firing Policy To Enable Purchase Of Pellets / 27
June 2023
Extract :
The Ministry of Power (MoP) has
decided to benchmark the prices of
biomass pellets used
for co-firing in Thermal Power Plants (TPPs). The decision comes in view of
evolving market conditions for biomass pellets and requests received from
stakeholders including thermal power plants, pellet manufactures, farmers,
bankers etc.
The benchmarked price shall
take into account the business viability, impact on electricity tariff and
efficient & faster pellet procurement by power utilities. Price
Benchmarking of pellets will enable the TPPs as well as Pellet Vendors to
establish a sustainable supply mechanism for co-firing of pellets.
The benchmarked price, as finalised
by the committee under CEA, will be effective from 1st January, 2024.
Till the time the recommendations of
the committee are implemented, the power utilities shall go for short term
tenders for meeting the immediate requirement of biomass pellets for their
TPPs.
Shri R.K. Singh, Union Power Minister
said that co-firing of biomass in
coal based power plants is a key policy of the Government towards energy security, reduced
use of fossil fuels and at the same time to increase income of
farmers. Revised policy shall help in achieving these goals faster.
Explaining the decision, Shri Alok
Kumar, Secretary, Power said that the decision would encourage farmers,
entrepreneurs as well as thermal power utilities to strive to establish a sustainable biomass ecosystem, achieve the targets for co-firing, reduce stubble burning and help to ensure a cleaner and
greener future for the citizens of India.
In another modification of the
policy, it has been directed that since availability of torrefied biomass pellets is presently limited in the country, the
torrefied pellets shall only be procured by utilities for which it is
technically unavoidable and utilities which can use non-torrefied pellets
should utilise the same only.
In
line with the Biomass policy,
which mandates co-firing of Biomass with coal in Thermal Power Plants ,
so far around 1.80
Lakh MT of biomass fuel has been co-fired in 47 thermal power plants in
the country totalling a capacity of 64,350 MW.
Out
of this, more than 50,000
MT has been co-fired during first two months of
FY ’23-24, which has also surpassed the previous highest ever annual
quantity.
Further,
about 1140 Lakh MT of biomass pellets are at
various stages of the tendering .
Purchase
order has been placed for approx. 69 Lakh MT of biomass
pellets by thermal power plants. With the enabling policies in place and
thrust from MoP through SAMARTH mission, substantial growth of Biomass co-firing
in TPPs across the country is envisaged.
My Take :
Ø Necessity
is the Mother of Invention……………………… 16 Nov 2019
Extract :
[ A ]
BU’s prize-winning model suggests farm fire solution
Extract :
An innovative solution to tackle air pollution
due to stubble burning was showcased recently in Bennett
University’s ( BU ) second annual Engineering Project Showcase
The winner in the mechanical engineering department ,
” Design and Fabrication of Torrefaction Reactor “, aims to provide a cost-effective solution by converting crop residue into high
energy fuel
It may help in eliminating
the stubble burning problem that
impacts lives of millions of people in North India every year
Torrefaction is a thermal process to convert
biomass into a coal-like material called pellets
The estimated 30 – 40
million tonnes of paddy straw that remains unutilized and is burnt, has the
potential to generate 6,000
– 8,000 MW of electricity annually by using it with coal in the coal based power plants
This may also provide farmers with
additional income, said a source
A single state of Punjab burns 20 million tons of stubble within 15 days !
According
to a government estimate, over 500 million
tonnes ( MT ) of agricultural straw are
Of this, nearly 362 million tonnes ( from rice-wheat-maize-millet ) , are burnt on the farms
Amount of surplus crop residue is estimated at 84-141 million tonnes
On 20 Nov
2017 , I wrote :
[ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/11/amrinder-singhji-has-no-excuse.html ]
Extract :
“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 )
I urge Shri Prakash Javadekarji [
Minister for Environment ] to :
# Publicize how much stubble did NTPC purchase so far – and at what price
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
www.hemenparekh.ai / 28
June 2023
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