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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Govt weighs use of hay pellets in power plants in bid to stop stubble burning
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Govt weighs use of hay pellets in power plants in bid to stop stubble burning

The govt is working on a plan that would involve thermal power generation plants buying hay pellets and mixing them with coal as fuel to generate electricity, says Raj Kumar Singh

The recent spike in Delhi pollution, caused due to crop stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, has become a political flashpoint between the AAP, BJP and the Congress. Photo: ReutersPremium
The recent spike in Delhi pollution, caused due to crop stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, has become a political flashpoint between the AAP, BJP and the Congress. Photo: Reuters

New Delhi: In an attempt to contain the pollution crisis in India caused by crop stubble burning, the Union government is working on a plan that would involve thermal power generation plants buying hay pellets and mixing them with coal as fuel to generate electricity, power minister Raj Kumar Singh said.

The recent spike in Delhi pollution, caused due to crop stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, has become a political flashpoint between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

“I am creating a market for hay," Singh said.

With the average price of such pellets at Rs5,500 per tonne, state run NTPC Ltd will be the first utility to come up with a tender to incentivize farmers to convert crop stubble into briquettes or pellets rather than burn it. NTPC, India’s largest power generation utility, last year ran a pilot programme using such pellets.

By leveraging India’s largest power generation utility, the power ministry has closed ranks with the petroleum ministry in making a political statement on tackling pollution. The petroleum ministry on Wednesday announced making Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) fuel available with effect from 1 April 2018 in Delhi, two years earlier than planned, to reduce vehicular pollution.

“We have spoken to our thermal power plant generator NTPC. We have decided that it is possible after them examining that of the coal used as a fuel, up to 10% of straw briquettes or pellets can be used. We have instructed them to start mixing it," said Singh at the launch of Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana website here on Thursday.

This assumes significance given that India’s largest power generation utility runs 105 coal-fuelled units, with its projects accounting for 16%, or 51,635 megawatt (MW), of the country’s installed power generation capacity of 331,117.58MW. Also, 58% of the country’s installed power generation capacity is fuelled by coal.

According to the government, an acre of land produces around two tonnes of stubble. Also, there will be no change in the cost of electricity generated.

“There are machines for making pellets....Even for those machines, our financing arm IREDA (Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd) will give loans. And we are writing to all the states, and we are writing to all the discoms that a similar obligation will be placed on the thermal generating units of the states as well," Singh said.

“You see some states have said that basically how can you ask the farmer to spend money to collect the stubble and collect the hay and things like that. Now if you create the market, he will not burn it but will sell it and make money out of it," Singh added.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said “farmers cannot be expected to give up crop stubble burning completely" till the time they are provided viable solutions, quoted news agency Press Trust of India.

The pellet scheme may become fully operational from next winter.

“If you are looking at whether it will be used for this season, it may not be possible because infrastructure will have to be set up for pelletisation machines and collection and rolling it and all. So, it will take some time but NTPC is definitely issuing the tender," said power secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla.

“We are putting the system in place now so next season in any case it will work. This season also if somebody delivers the briquettes or pellets we will use it," Singh added.

Separately, the government is also planning to bid out 15 million smart electricity meters to bring down its cost. In the last tender floated by state-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) for supply of 5 million smart electricity meters, the price came down to Rs2,722 a piece.

“For the next bid coming out for 15 million (meters), in my estimate the price will come down to Rs1500 (per metre). This is for smart meters. It will be far less for the prepaid meters," Singh said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Bhaskar
"Utpal Bhaskar leads Mint's policy and economy coverage. He is part of Mint’s launch team, which he joined as a staff writer in 2006. Widely cited by authors and think-tanks, he has reported extensively on the intersection of India’s policy, polity and corporate space.
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Published: 16 Nov 2017, 11:44 PM IST
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