India asks power generators to upgrade older plants

• 7 years ago (2016-11-09)
• David Flin

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India’s National Democratic Alliance government has asked power generators to refurbish and upgrade older plants running on outdated technologies. This follows India’s ratification of the Paris climate agreement, which came into force from 4 November. India has said that it wishes to prioritise improvement of old and inefficient thermal plants.

A senior official from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change said: “While the older plants are profitable for companies, they still operate on older technologies and are a threat to the environment. We are asking them to upgrade these units so that they are in line with the latest technology.”

Coal is the largest fuel source in India’s energy mix. Of the country’s installed electricity generation capacity of 306,358 MW, 61 per cent (187,253 MW) is fuelled by coal. Around 25,000 MW of this installed capacity is over 25 years old, and will need renovation and modernisation (R&M;) to function effectively.

An official from the Ministry of Power said: “We have been trying to send the same message across the sector. What this does is not only improve plant capacity, but also reduce emissions.” R&M; investment requirements for a thermal power project is around half of what is required for setting up new capacity.