ISSUES AND ACTION POINTS AT A GLANCE

Some of the salient issues and action points relating coal and environment interface in India as highlighted by Dilip Biswas, Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in his presentation in the Clean Coal Initiatives Roundtable, World Bank, Washington DC in June, 1996 are reproduced as follows:

COAL MINING SCENARIO

• Share of opencast (surface) mining increasing. In 1995-96, out of 270 mt., 196 mt. (74%) coal came from opencast mines.
• Major part of growth in demand in the past two decades was for thermal coal. India has large reserves of 40-45% ash coal, in shallow & thick coal seams, amenable to opencast mining. Current stripping ratio is around 2 cum per ton of coal.

MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN COAL MINING IN INDIA

• LAND DEGRADATION. Coal mines cover a total land area of 140,771 hectares (ha). During next 5 years, 57,000 ha. additional land is needed, of which forest land is 13,000 ha.
• AIR POLLUTION. SPM levels in the older coal mining areas of Jharia and Raniganj has increased 6 fold during the last 50 years due to mining and associated industrial activities.
• Fires caused by indiscriminate mining in the past 100 years, affecting the Jharia coalfield, containing major Coking Coal reserves.
• WATER POLLUTION. Mainly caused by the effluent discharge from old coal preparation plants set up along the banks of Damodar river. The water pumped out of the mines is not a significant source of pollution.

Coal Transportation

• Steep increase in coal transportation. beyond 1000 Km.

Distance 1993-94 2006-07 2009-10

Pit head 61 128 155

<500 Km 39 55 70

500-1000 km 22 47 60

> 1000 Km 43 170 215

Issues in Transportation

• Wasteful use of Rail Infrastructure in transporting high ash coal.
• Coal routes are saturated or reaching saturation.
• Innovative measures like, Engine on load system, own your wagon scheme and unit train operation.
• Augmentation of rail transport will depend on commensurate investment.

Need for beneficiation

2001-02

Reduction of tonnage (mt) 11

Saving in transport cost (Usm$) 240

Saving in diesel consumption (KI) 63,750

Reduction in bottom ash (mt) 2

Reduction in fly ash (mt) 8

Reduction in CO₂ (mt) 23

COAL BENEFICIATION STATUS

• Only cooking coals are washed now.
• Several proposals are ready for setting up washeries for non cooking coals in Talcher, Korba and North Karanpura coalfields. A pilot plant at Bina opencast pithead in Singrauli coalfield is nearing completion.
• Washability studies indicate reduction of ash level in raw coal from about 41-45% to 30-32% depending on coal quality and distance of transportation.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN NON COKING COAL BENEFICIATION

• Disposal of ash at the power plants vis-à-vis disposal of rejects from the pit head washeries.
• Pit head power generation and transmission of electrical energy at high voltage through a national grid.
• Cost and time for augmenting rail and coastal shipping transportation capacity, in case pit head generation option is rejected.

OPTIONS

• Setting up of large pit head power stations.
• Use of beneficiated coal in distant power stations.
• Import of coal for coastal power plants.
• Renovation and modernisation of old plants.
• Adoption of clean combustion technologies.