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 Most
of India's power and energy demands are met by coal.
At present in India, thermal power plants are the largest
contributor in the power-generating sector. The Annual
report from the Ministry of Power (as on Jan. 1999)
showed that thermal power plants contribute 65790 kwh,
where as hydel power projects contribute only 22083
kwh, followed by nuclear power plants, which contribute
2225 kwh.
However, research and studies conducted in this field
predict that there would be a reduction in the share
of coal in power generation in the near future. One
of the main reasons behind this is that coal is a non-renewable
resource. And the existing coal reserves at current
levels of consumption would be enough to last another
30 years.
In fact, thermal power production in 1998-99 has not
been sustained and in fact showed a marginal drop of
one per cent in the April-January period. The thermal
power plants are also facing other problems, which are
affecting power generation. The quality of Indian coal,
which has a high ash content (36 per cent), plays havoc
with functioning of thermal power plants and steel plants.
Therefore, increasing number of consumers have been
refusing to use the sub-standard coal, and the government
has had to allow imports of coking coal. Imports in
1997-98 had amounted to 16.07 million tonnes, showing
a 31 per cent rise from the preceding year. This definitely
increases the cost of production.
Then the coal industry also faces problems like low
productivity, distribution problems and loss of markets
to higher quality, less expensive imports.
Source:
Swagat Magazine
www.idsa-india.org
Picture Courtesy: Swagat, August 2001
- Shravanti Choudhuri
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