THERMAL POWER PLANTS - ECONOMY
News: Run imported coal power units at 100% till Sept. 30
What is in the news?
●
Recently, The Ministry of Power extended the time
period of its direction to all thermal plants using imported coal to operate at
full capacity till September 30 to avoid electricity shortage amid rising
demand.
Coal usage in the Thermal power plant:
●
Around 61% of the energy production in India
is coming from thermal power plants.
●
According to the Central
Electricity Authority (CEA), India may need additional 28GW of coal-fired
generation capacity by 2032 apart from 25GW thermal projects which are under
construction.
Coal:
About:
●
It is a type of fossil
fuel found in the form of sedimentary rocks and is often known as 'Black Gold'.
●
It is a conventional source of energy.
Areas of usage:
●
Energy generation
●
Iron and steel industry
●
Steam engines
Leading coal producers:
●
China > US >
Australia > Indonesia > India
Classification:
|
Type |
Carbon content |
Area |
|
Anthracite |
80
- 95% |
small
quantities in J&K |
|
Bituminous |
60
- 80% |
Jharkhand,
West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh |
|
Lignite |
40
- 55% |
Rajasthan,
Lakhimpur (Assam) and Tamil Nadu |
|
Peat |
less
than 40% |
first
stage of transformation from organic matter (wood) to coal. |