GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF POWER

LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1312

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.03.2016

POLLUTION LEVEL

1312. SHRIMATI VEENA DEVI:

SHRI ANANTKUMAR HEGDE:

Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state:

(a) whether the World Coal Association has submitted that India could minimize pollution level while improving efficiency in coal based power generation projects by adopting high level modern scientific technology;

(b) if so, the details in this regard;

(c) whether the Government has considered the view expressed by World Coal Association; and

(d) if so, the action taken in this regard?

A N S W E R

THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR POWER,

COAL AND NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY

( SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL )

(a ) & (b) : The report of World Coal Association (WCA) brings out that coal is likely to be the major source of capacity addition in the country and significant savings in CO2 emission are possible by switch over from subcritical units to super-critical and Ultra Supercritical technologies.

(c) & (d) : The Government has already taken following actions for adoption of super-critical and Ultra Supercritical technology to improve efficiency of Thermal Power Plants :

I. It has been decided that Coal fired capacity additions in 13th Plan shall be through supercritical units only.

II. Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPPs) are based on Super Critical technology.

III. To promote setting up of supercritical units in place of old inefficient units, Government has approved automatic transfer of coal linkage from old inefficient power plants to new Supercritical plants subject to certain conditions.

IV. An Advanced Ultra Super Critical Technology R&D Project has been approved by Government at a cost of Rs. 1,500 Crore involving BHEL, NTPC and Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) to achieve higher efficiency, reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and coal consumption for coal based power plants.