CSIR lab to certify coal used in power plants
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has
signed an annual Rs. 250-crore deal with several state-run coal and thermal
power companies to certify the quality of the coal being supplied and used in
their facilities. The certification will help power plants use coal appropriate
to the machinery and technology available in the plant and contribute to
efficient use and, in the long run, reduce emissions.
- The Dhanbad-based CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CSIR-CIMFR), Dhanbad, a constituent laboratory of CSIR, will be doing the certification and it expects to analyse about 300 million tonnes of coal samples per year. While the grading of a coal would be voluntary and organisations affiliated to the Coal Ministry would have already checked the quality of coal, the CSIR’s grading would be finer and more reliable.
Background:
There have been disputes between power companies and coal
suppliers over the quality of coal. Last week several power distribution
companies in Delhi reportedly filed a petition with the Central Electricity
Regulatory Commission accusing the NTPC of supplying poor quality coal and
overcharging. The NTPC had responded that the coal was supplied by Coal India
Ltd. and only a ‘third party’ could impartially decide on the quality of coal.
India’s coal is known to be of high ash content and of a lower quality,
compared with that of several countries, that has forced many private companies
to import coal.
About CSIR:
CSIR, constituted in 1942 by a resolution of the then Central
Legislative assembly, is an autonomous body registered under the Registration
of Societies Act XXI of 1860.
- Known for its cutting-edge R&D knowledgebase in diverse S&T areas, CSIR is a contemporary R&D organization, having pan-India presence, with a dynamic network of 38 national laboratories, 39 outreach centers, 3 Innovation Complexes and 5 units.
- CSIR covers a wide spectrum of science and technology – from radio and space physics, oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology to mining, aeronautics, instrumentation, environmental engineering and information technology.
- It provides significant technological intervention in many areas with regard to societal efforts, which include environment, health, drinking water, food, housing, energy, farm and non-farm sectors. Further, CSIR’s role in S&T human resource development is noteworthy.
