Clean coal power capacity may rise 103 GW by 2025

NEW DELHI, MARCH 4:  India’s power generation capacity from cleaner coal is expected to increase by 103 gigawatts (GW) between 2016 and 2025, according to research and consulting firm, GlobalData.

“While India’s clean coal installations are in a nascent stage, many ultra mega power projects have adopted the supercritical technology and future supercritical and ultra-supercritical installations will drive capacity additions over the forecast period,” the firm said in a report.

New installations

Supercritical and ultra-supercritical power plants operate at temperatures and pressures above the temperature and pressure at which the liquid and gas phases of water coexist.

“India’s increasing population and industrialisation, improved standard of living, and robust economic growth are all pushing up its demand for electricity. Between 2013 and 2014, India experienced a deficit of 4.5 per cent in terms of the electricity supply available to fulfill peak demand. India urgently requires many new installations, with coal a significant contributor,” said Sowmyavadhana Srinivasan, Senior Analyst at GlobalData.

India policy

However, Srinivasan warns that growth in India’s clean coal market could be limited by fluctuations in the international coal market and the Government’s increased emphasis on the use of cleaner fuels for power generation.

“India has a policy that most mega power plants have to secure coal imports internationally. This means that if there is a shift in the international coal community, it will affect the coal power plants in India, which adds to the risks involved with setting them up,” Srinivasan added.

Courtesy: The Hindu Business Line