Orissa Power Supply in Crisis as Fly Ash Problems Shut Down Another 2,000 Megawatts

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--For the past two months, the Indian state of Orissa has been suffering from a critical shortfall in electrical power supplies. Now the situation has been exacerbated by the state government's request to NTPC Limited (BSE:532555) (New Delhi) to shut down 2,000 megawatts (MW) of power generation until the matter of fly ash disposal is tackled satisfactorily.

Stage II of the 3,000-MW Talcher super thermal power station has four 500-MW units that supply power to the states of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, all of which are faced with power supply shortages.

At the end of June last year two 500-MW units at the Talcher plant were closed after a closure notice was issued by the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB). The pollution concerns are that fly ash from the Talcher plant threatens nearby crops and rivers. The OSPCB says that it has warned NTPC about the problem and the need for fly ash management solutions for the past three years. NTPC submitted their latest plan to combat the fly ash problem to OSPCB at the beginning of this week, but the board was not satisfied and asked the company to produce another set of proposals.

India has more than 80 coal-fired power plants. Firing 1,000 tons of coal fuel produces 13.34 tons of fly ash, which presents a major waste disposal problem. Thousands of tons of fly ash in slurry form are pumped into ash ponds on site at the power stations every day, and the ponds occupy millions of acres of agricultural land across the country.

In coal combustion, two types of fly ash are produced: fly ash and bottom ash. Fly ash, known as pulverized fuel ash, is the residue of coal combustion and is comprised of very fine, powdery glass-like particles. Because it is so fine it is highly susceptible to wind erosion and its grayish white color reflects more light than dirt, thus raising surface temperature according to Blacksmithinstiutute. Bottom ash refers to the non-combustible materials in coal and is heavy and coarse. A mixture of both types is called pond ash.

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