Context: According to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis Coal will continue to be the mainstay of India’s power generation till at least 2030, but efforts must made to ensure it is used efficiently to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

• Improving fleet technology and efficiency, propagating biomass co-firing and investing in carbon capture and storage are among the few feasible measures put forth by experts during a webinar by think-tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
• The measures, among others, could help cut GHG emissions by 22 per cent, according to CSE.

India’s coal-based thermal power

• India’s coal-based thermal power sector is one of the country’s biggest emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2).
• The amount of CO2 that is emitted by India’s coal-based thermal power generation amounts to 2.5 per cent of global GHG emissions; one-third of India’s GHG emissions; and around 50 per cent of India’s fuel-related CO2 emissions.

Improve fleet technology and efficiency, renovate and modernise:

• India has one of the youngest coal fleets in the world, with around 64 per cent of the capacity (132 GW) less than a decade old.
• Maintaining efficiency of this large fleet will be crucial as it is going to be operational for at least the next 15-20 years.
• The government’s renovation and modernisation policies need to play a key role in maintaining the efficiency of this fleet.

Plan for the old capacity

• In 2015, over 34 GW capacity in India was more than 25 years old, and 60 per cent of it was highly inefficient.
• Increasing India’s renewable electricity generation can help further the cause to accelerate the retirement of old and inefficient plants.

Propagate biomass co-firing

• Biomass co-firing is a globally accepted cost-effective method for decarbonising a coal fleet.
• Only one plant currently co-fires biomass in India.

Invest in carbon capture and storage (CCS)

• Globally, carbon capture and storage has struggled to pick up – the CSE analysis notes that India’s prospects appear to be dim at least until 2030.
• CSE analysts recommended that businesses should invest in indigenous research and development to bring down the costs of CCS.

Bring back coal beneficiation

• A 1997 environment ministry notification had mandated the use of beneficiated coal from 2001 with ash content not more than 34 per cent.
• However, in 2020, overturning the good work, the government allowed use of coal irrespective of the ash content.

Road Ahead

• Renewable capacity addition alone cannot be enough; ambitious plans to reduce GHG emissions in coal sector are equally needed to meaningfully tackle climate change, the analysis concluded.