Coal power production

Why in News?

• India must stop building coal infrastructure and focus on renewable power generation to aid the global fight against climate change and lift its citizens out of poverty, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said recently.

Impact of Coal power plants on Health and Environment:

• Coal is the main source of energy in India as it fulfils almost 63 per cent of the total installed capacity in the country.
• Coal power generation is a primary cause of greenhouse gas (GHG) and toxic airborne emissions globally.
• Coal burning not only produces carbon dioxide but also releases particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury — thus damaging the health of many people around the world.
• Countries like India have many older plants equipped with insufficient flue gas treatment. As a result, these power plants only remove a fraction of the pollutants.
• Also the coal used in India is of inferior quality, which to increases pollution.

About Coal:

• Coal is a fossil fuel, found in a form of sedimentary rocks and is often known as 'Black Gold'.
• It is originated from organic matter wood.
• When large tracts of forests are buried under sediments, wood is burnt and decomposed due to heat from below and pressure from above.

Types of coal on the basis of a time period:

• Gondwana coal: Around 98 per cent of India's total coal reserves are from Gondwana times. This coal was formed about 250 million years ago.
  • The Gondwana coal is mainly bituminous or anthracite in which the carbon content varies between 60 to 90 per cent.
  • The bituminous coal is converted into coke before being used in the iron and steel industry.
• Tertiary coal is of younger age. It was formed from 15 to 60 million years ago.
  • The Tertiary coal contributes only about two per cent of the total coal production of the country.
  • It is an inferior type of coal in which the carbon varies between 30 per cent to 50 per cent.

What is coking coal?

• Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is used to create coke, one of the key irreplaceable inputs for the production of steel.
• Coking coal results from the heating of coal in the absence of oxygen, which burns off volatile gases and is mainly used in iron and steel industry.
• India depends on import to meet its demand of coking coal.

Characteristics of Indian coal:

• Low calorific value
• High ash content.
• Low carbon content.
• Negligible toxic trace element concentrations.
• High Ash fusion temperature.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements:
1.Indian Coal in general is of extremely high quality with high carbon content.
2.Thermal energy accounts for less than 50% of India’s installed capacity.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2 
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question