Clean coal technology, despite Clinton ……SAJAL GHOSH
DURING the recent visit of Hillary Clinton the United States, voicing the concern shared by many countries of the developed world, urged India to reduce its dependence on coal. Coal is indeed a dirty fuel, the burning of which emits CO2, one of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. But as reported by Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the US, India was responsible for only 8.3% of worlds total coal consumption in 2007 while the US and China consumed 15.9% and 39.2% of coal respectively for the same year.
Surprisingly, despite concerns of international community over climate change, world coal consumption is expected to grow by 49% from 2006 to 2030, and coals share of world energy consumption would increase from 27% in 2006 to 28% in 2030. Coal consumption is expected to decline only in Japan and some European countries due to slow population and electricity-demand growth rates and their greater reliance on nuclear and gas-based power. Even in the US, EIA projected 0.7% increase per year in coal consumption during the period 2006 to 2030. In terms of magnitude, the US is projected to consume 26.6 quadrillion British thermal units (QBtu) of coal in 2030 while India would consume 14.2 QBtu. So, the US should worry about their own coal consumption before pointing fingers at India.
India is an energy-starved nation. Per capita commercial energy consumption, one of the indicators of economic well-being, is one of the lowest for India even among developing countries. As far as the power sector is concerned, there is high energy and peak load shortages and a large number of households have no access to electricity. According to the Integrated Energy Policy (IEP) document published by the Planning Commission under the chairmanship of Prof Kirit S Parikh, India needs to increase its primary energy supply by at least three to four times from their 2003-04 levels by 2031-32 in order to maintain 8% growth rate and to supply lifeline energy to all its citizens.
What should be the role of various fuels in Indias future energy mix, given internal priorities and external concerns? At present, around 75% of our crude oil requirement is being met through import, primarily from the politically sensitive west Asian region. Future import dependence on crude oil is expected to be in the range of 90% to 93%, making energy security a concern. Prospects of gas look good after the reported discoveries of several gas fields and can make a significant contribution to Indias energy portfolio. However, gas is unlikely to occupy centre stage in Indias energy mix.
Being a tropical country, we are abundantly endowed with renewable energy sources in the form of solar, wind, biomass, hydel, etc. However, low conversion efficiency, seasonality of supply, problems of storage, high installation and energy costs with respect to conventional energy sources, etc., are some of the impediments in the renewable energy sector.
Contrary to the popular perception, IEP projected that the maximum contribution of renewable energy in an optimistic scenario would be around 5.6% of our total energy by 2031-32. So, renewables cannot be a major source of energy unless there is a technological breakthrough. However, power from renewables could be an economic option in remote areas and islands, which are difficult to connect with conventional grid. So, renewables can be used as a supplement to conventional energy, wherever possible.
We have large coal reserves and with the state-of-the-art mining technology, the extractable potential is around 52 billion tonnes out of total potential of 248 billion tonnes. Indian coal has high ash content and low calorific values. Despite that, various national and international organisations recognise that India has to rely predominantly on indigenous coal in order to make energy price affordable. Some even predicted that the share of coal would continue to be over 50% till 2030. However, to minimise the environmental impacts associated with mining and burning of coal, emphasis must be on clean coal technologies (CCTs). India can learn from China, which has adopted a well-planned strategic programme for R&D in CCTs. The efficiency of coal mining, coal transportation and coal-fired power plants in India can be improved to a large extent, which, in turn, can reduce their respective carbon footprints in a significant manner.
Unfortunately, the Indian coal sector is in a shambles. We urgently need an independent coal regulator to do away with existing monopoly and promote competition in the sector. A time-bound and goal-oriented mission in CCTs is the need of the hour. Emphasis should also be on correcting energy price anomalies to encourage investment and discourage wasteful use of energy. Contrary to all that international lobbies advocate, the government of India must move fast to rejuvenate the coal sector, recognising its importance to our energy future.