Govt committed to biomass co-firing policy as it curbs pollution, generates income: Krishan Pal Gurjar – EQ Mag
A significant step towards lowering emissions from the power sector is the biomass co-firing policy
The government is committed to biomass co-firing policy as the use of biomass pellets aimed at reducing pollution and better earnings for farmers and pellet manufacturers, Minister of State for Power Krishan Pal Gurjar said on Friday.Addressing the National Conference on Biomass ‘3P-Pellet to Power to Prosperity’, Gurjar said that the government is committed to the biomass co-firing policy.
The Conference was a great initiative to bring all the stakeholders on a common platform and will benefit everyone from the farmer to pellet manufacturers to thermal power plants, besides helping in the reduction of pollution, especially in the NCR region caused by stubble burning during the winter season, he added. The biomass co-firing policy is an important step towards reducing emissions from the power sector.
“India had already achieved the emission reduction targets of COP21, 9 years ahead of the 2030 deadline. The Prime Minister has committed to cut India’s emissions to net zero by 2070 at COP26. India is taking a number of steps for promoting green energy,” he added. The minister said that the government was making serious efforts to promote the biomass pellet manufacturing sector.
Power Secretary Alok Kumar lauded the great work done by the National Mission on Use of Biomass in Thermal Power Plants (SAMARTH).
However, he said that a lot of work needed to be done as the competing products had a long history of growth and a well-established strong supply chain. He urged the state regulatory bodies, state generation companies and IPPs (independent power producers) to promote the use of Biomass Pellets, saying that despite multiple advantages, there was an inertia on part of these bodies to push for greater use of biomass pellets.
Kumar added that the ministry will soon write to state regulatory bodies in this regard. The secretary also emphasised the need to create an intermediate body as a bridge to ensure efficient supply-demand linkages between pellet suppliers/manufacturers and thermal power stations, which are biomass pellet users.
The conversion of biomass agro residue into pellets and co-firing them in thermal power plants is expected to not only save the environment from the harmful effects of stubble burning but also contribute towards the reduction of the country’s dependence on imported coal in electricity generation and increase the earning potential of farmers and small entrepreneurs.
The Ministry of Power organised the National Conference on Biomass ‘3P-Pellet to Power to Prosperity’ here on Friday in association with SAMARTH and National Power Training Institute (NPTI). The conference was aimed at fostering an enabling environment to boost co-firing of biomass pellets in thermal power plants in India as well as to provide a common platform for all the stakeholders in the field to share their knowledge and experience to strengthen the biomass supply ecosystem.
Source: PTI
