Union Minister: New project to curb coal consumption at power plants

The Dollar Business Bureau In a move to boost power generation in the country, the government has approved an Advanced Ultra Super Critical Technology Research and Development Project. The project worth Rs 1,500 crore will be carried out with the involvement of Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited (BHEL), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR). The project is mainly aimed at reducing the coal consumption by the coal-based units, achieve higher efficiency, and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy, said in Rajya Sabha on Monday. Research and Developmental activities under the project will be carried out under the supervision of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the government for certain pre-project R&D activities. The minister said that the Union cabinet has also approved the proposals for amendment in Electricity Act, 2003 on December 10, 2014 as contained in the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014, and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 19, 2014. This was further referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy and the Committee has also submitted its report to the Parliament on May 7, the minister said. Amendments made to the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 seeks to end the monopoly of power distribution companies. This will be done by segregating the carriage- distribution sector/network from the content-electricity supply business in the power sector by introducing multiple supply licences. This will finally result in competition and efficiency in the distribution sector and the choice will be on the consumers’ side, the minster added.    

May 11, 2015 | 8:47 pm IST.