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CAQM sets timelines for captive thermal power plants to phase out coal

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas has set timelines for captive thermal power plants (CTPPs) to phase out coal and replace it with co-firing biomass and straw pellets. Captive power plants provide localised sources of power typically to industrial facilities. In an order issued on Monday, CAQM directed CTPPs to initiate immediate steps to co-fire biomass-based pellets with coal through a continuous and uninterrupted supply chain targeting at least 5% co-firing of biomass pellets by September 30 and at least 10% co-firing by December 31 for effective utilisation of agricultural residue. The move is aimed at reducing their coal dependence. The CAQM clarified the order applied to CTPPs for which no restrictions existed until now. There is a separate timeline for NCR’s 11 coal-based thermal power plants. CAQM issued a comprehensive policy on air pollution in NCR in July last year under which the 11 plants were directed to meet their co-firing targets of 5% by September 30, 2022. They were to be co-firing 10% by the March end of this year. A Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis on March 16 showed a majority of these power plants were unlikely to meet the deadline. Find The Perfect Shade From Over 2,000 Pre-Selected Colours Find The Perfect Shade From Over 2,000 Pre-Selected Colours Ad Valspar “Until December 2022, the power plants under the ownership of [the] Haryana state government— the Rajiv Gandhi TPP, Yamuna Nagar TPP, and Panipat TPP – have invited both short-term and long-term tenders, but none of these tenders have been awarded. The Mahatma Gandhi TPP, Dadri TPP, and Indira Gandhi TPP are the only coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR that have successfully placed long-term orders by December 2022,” the analysis said. It added the Panipat TPP, Mahatma Gandhi TPP, Nabha TPP, Ropar TPP, and Guru Hargobind TPP issued tenders for biomass pellet procurement, but they were of much less quantity than what was needed to meet the 5% threshold. Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air analyst Sunil Dahiya said the move sought to incentivise farmers and to ensure agricultural residue is not burnt. He added most power plants seemed to have missed the harvesting window for procurement. “On paper, we are reducing coal usage and utilising this agricultural residue which will cause less pollution overall...if the window to procure has been missed, then it will be very difficult to get these bio-pellets or residue now. We need to ensure that these thermal power plants procure residue when harvesting begins.”

Power purchase in Delhi shows rising trend once again

The total power purchase in Delhi, which showed a downward trend during Covid-19, increased to 37,460MU in 2021-22, according to Economic Survey of Delhi 2022-23. Discom officials said 2022, which was mostly free of Covid restrictions after two consecutive years, saw Delhi breaking several past records of power consumption. Delhiites consumed almost half the power during the two Covid waves in 2021 than in 2022. In 2019, the peak summer demand was 7,409 MW, which was also more than that of 2020 and 2021, said discom sources. November and December 2022 saw the peak winter power demand at more than that of the previous two years. “While 16.65% of the total power purchase is sourced from own generation by Delhi government’s power plants, 83.34% is purchased from the central government and other sources,” it added. The survey, however, revealed that the city had managed to harvest only 20MW of additional solar power this financial year. According to it, the total power generated by solar systems was 244MW till September 2022 against 223.6MW in 2021-22. “To promote use of green power through solar in Delhi, Government of NCT approved Delhi Solar Policy 2016 with the aim to install 2,000MW solar installation by 2025… Solar systems’ installed capacity is 244MW at 6,864 locations,” the survey stated. Delhi government has also reiterated its aim to generate 2,000MW of solar power by 2025, prompting experts to call for prompt action. The data shows that over a decade, the entire power purchase has increased from 33,390MU in 2011-12 to 37,460MU in 2021-22, and the number of consumers from 43.01 lakh to 65.9 lakh. The power department has subsidised 100% of the energy charges for domestic consumers consuming up to 200 units per month and given a subsidy of up to Rs 800 per month for those consuming between 201-400 units. As per Outcome Budget, 48.9 lakh domestic consumers are entitled to the subsidies and 75% of them availed of it. Waste-to-energy plants are being set-up at various locations in Delhi, including a Municipal Corporation of Delhi-National Thermal Power Corporation joint venture for a 12MW plant, said the report. In 2016, the government issued a policy making solar power installations mandatory on all government buildings having a rooftop size of 500 sqm or above and offered a generation-based incentive for three years in residential areas. But experts pointed out that the existing solar capacity was just a fraction of the 2025 target. “The ministry of new and renewable energy has set a target for Delhi at 2.762GW (2,762MW) by the end of 2022, but the existing solar power capacity is roughly 0.2GW,” said Aditya Lolla, a senior policy analyst at energy thinktank Ember. “If we go purely by numbers, Delhi will have to add 60MW of solar power every month to achieve 2,000MW by 2025 or the next 30 months,” Lolla added. Experts also pointed out that the government would need to find alternatives and encourage public. “At this pace, we will reach nowhere. The authorities must address several issues, including realising the potential. Rooftops at apartments are full of water tanks and AC units. We will have to find alternatives. There was a draft policy on rooftop, which seemed encouraging, but we are not aware of its status,” said Binit Das, deputy programme manager, renewables at Centre for Science and Environment. He pointed out that the virtual net metering might also not be of much use in Delhi due to the provision of free power units. “We have observed that the rooftop solution is working really well in the states with high tariff.”

Power plants in Delhi fails to adhere to biomass co-firing policy

According to a recent report published on March 16, several coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR have made very little progress in following instructions to use biomass or agricultural leftovers for electricity generation. According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which carried out the study, a recent announcement (February 2023) by the Environment Ministry has allowed these plants additional latitude to postpone complying with the directives... The Union Ministry of Electricity had ordered the facilities to use biomass or agricultural waste to replace five to ten percent of the coal they use to generate energy by October 2021... Nivit Kumar Yadav, Programme Director, Industrial Pollution, CSE, said, “Our study shows that cumulatively, less than one per cent of the coal consumed per year in these 11 plants had been replaced with agro-residues until December 2022.”..

India: How electric vehicles are driving a green transition

With a surging car market, India's transition to electric mobility will be faster as automobile companies make big-ticket investments in the development of infrastructure to facilitate electric vehicle penetration in the country, industry experts expect. "I am bullish about the EV market. Given the right impetus, rising EV adoption will create an immediate requirement to embrace the next-generation needs of the automotive industry," Jaideep Wadhwa, director of Sterling Gtake E-Mobility, a motor control units' manufacturer for EVs, told DW. India is the third-largest automobile market globally in terms of sales, even ahead of major markets like Germany and Japan. Given the encouraging signs, there is now a push for manufacturers and policymakers to work together to shift demand towards greener options. The Economic Survey 2023, an annual document of the Finance Ministry, predicts that India's domestic electric vehicle market will see a 49% compound annual growth rate between 2022 and 2030, with 10 million annual sales by 2030. Investment opportunities Another independent study by the Center for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF) showed that the EV market in India will be a $206 billion (€194 billion) opportunity by the end of this decade if it maintains steady progress to meet its ambitious 2030 target. This would require a cumulative investment of over $180 billion in vehicle production and charging infrastructure. In 2021, the Indian EV industry attracted $6 billion in investment and is becoming steadily more attractive to private equity and venture capital investors. "This is a positive sign that the market is picking up, especially in the two and three-wheeler segments where the cost of ownership and cost parity with the internal combustion engines have improved considerably," Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at Center for Science and Environment, told DW. Chowdhury pointed out that the ongoing federal government incentive program and state-level policies have contributed to this trend and have also helped to build the electric bus program for zero emissions urban commuting. Meeting India's climate targets At the COP26 summit in Glasgow, India pledged to achieve net-zero emissions status by 2070 and to lower its emission intensity by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030. EVs could help realize these goals and play a pivotal role in India's green transition. In Glasgow, India rolled out its website e-AMRIT, which functions as a one-stop destination for all information on EVs and addresses concerns about the adoption of EVs and their purchase — such as charging facility locations and EV financing options as well as information about investment opportunities, government policies, and available subsidies for drivers and manufacturers. Currently, the transport sector accounts for 18% of total energy consumption in India, which translates to an estimated 94 million tons of oil-equivalent (MTOE) energy. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency estimates that, if India were to follow the current trends of energy consumption, it would require an estimated 200 MTOE of energy supply annually by 2030 to meet demand. "With supportive government policies, increasing consumer awareness, and improvements in technology, we will transition towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly mode of transportation," a senior government official told DW, requesting anonymity. Indian conglomerates such as Reliance, Adani, and Tata are similarly investing in electric vehicles and green hydrogen. They are beginning to invest huge money consequently in clean technology sectors such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure, biofuels, renewables, carbon capture and storage, and green hydrogen. But the road to a fully-electric ecosystem still has a distance to traverse with high costs, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of high performing EVs, cited as reasons. Hoping to convert more consumers into EV owners, the government is offering subsidies for its purchase, and a tax exemption of 150,000 Indian Rupees (€1,708, $1,818) is also given for people buying electric cars on loan. The future of transportation During the stage of "faster adoption and manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles" (FAME), the government has been trying to improve the infrastructure for electric vehicle manufacturing in the country. There are more than 65,000 gas stations in the country but only 1,640 EV charging stations. Petroleum companies are expected to come up with a plan for 22,000 EV charging stations by 2024. In comparison, China has approximately 900,000. Moreover, a battery swapping policy has been put forward as an easier way to charge EVs. Last year, the government also announced a production-linked incentive scheme for automakers, a part of which aims to boost electric vehicle manufacturing. "A lot of things are possible. Every street lamp can also be turned into a charging station with the swipe of a credit card. But what is good to know is that many states have introduced policies that have led to the increased adoption of EVs," Wadhwa said. However, the change in the electric car segment compared to two- and three-wheelers, is slower, as costs are still high. According to NITI Aayog, an Indian public policy think tank, by 2030, 80% of two- and three-wheelers, 40% of buses and 30%-70% of cars in India will be EVs. While it is encouraging to see the market picking up, Chowdhury stressed a lot more is needed to meet NITI Aayog's recommended aspirational target. "This will require immediate intervention to define the next stage of the current incentive program, which is coming to an end in 2024, and a regulatory target with zero emissions vehicle mandate to accelerate the electric mobility transition," Chowdhury said.

Q&A: How the EU wants to race to net-zero with ‘Green Deal Industrial Plan’

At least 40% of the EU’s low-carbon technologies – from solar panels to heat pumps – will need to be made within its borders by 2030 under new plans. The European Commission has set out a series of proposed targets and reforms that collectively make up its Green Deal Industrial Plan. It is an explicit response to China’s dominance in the sector and the wave of low-carbon subsidies announced in the US Inflation Reduction Act last year. In order to take on these rivals, the commission says EU member states need to cut “red tape”, end “excessive” bureaucracy and fast-track net-zero projects. It also calls for the bloc to ramp up production of “critical raw materials” for the low-carbon economy. To help fund these activities, the commission has loosened rules around the money that governments can hand out to low-carbon companies – potentially paving the way for a subsidy race with other nations. However, concerns remain over how member states and businesses will finance such a major industrial transition. A reform of the EU’s electricity market design has also been released, which the commission says will help Europeans benefit from the expansion of cheap renewable power. The commission has framed all of these proposals as a key part of its ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. In this Q&A, Carbon Brief examines all of the proposals that together make up the EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan. All of the proposals must now be discussed and agreed by the European Parliament and the EU Council before they can enter into force. Why has the EU produced a Green Deal Industrial Plan? What are the targets for low-carbon technologies in the EU? How would the EU cut ‘red tape’ for low-carbon projects? How does the EU plan to source ‘critical raw materials’? How is the EU proposing to reform electricity markets? How will EU green industry be financed and subsidised? How would the plan create ‘high-skilled jobs’? How does the plan aim to ensure ‘fair trade’ for ‘green’ businesses? Why has the EU produced a Green Deal Industrial Plan? Back in August 2022, US president Joe Biden made history by passing the largest package of domestic climate measures ever under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA contains $369bn for climate measures such as tax breaks for low-carbon energy and electric vehicles. The bill initially attracted widespread praise, with many describing it as a landmark moment for climate action in the world’s second-highest emitting country. However, by the autumn of 2022, tensions started to brew about how the IRA may affect industry and business in other countries – and even fuel a global “clean-energy arms race”. Countries started to argue that the small print of the IRA – which stipulates that generous subsidies will only be on offer to companies operating mostly or wholly in the US – amounted to “green protectionism” and could harm business overseas. There are two passages in the IRA that have particularly caused a stir. The first is the stipulation that tax credits for low-carbon energy technologies, such as batteries, solar panels and wind turbines, should only apply to products made within the US. (This is shown in the extract of the IRA below.) The second is a section of the act that offers US consumers tax credits to buy electric vehicles only if they’ve been assembled in North America. This passage also says that critical minerals and batteries needed for EVs must increasingly be bought from North America or a country with which the US has a preferential trade agreement. At the forefront of criticism of these terms was the EU. On a trip to the US in December, French president Emmanuel Macron warned that the “protectionist” terms of the IRA risked “fragmenting the west”, according to the Financial Times. Around the same time, European Commision president Ursula von der Leyen told an event that the IRA was “raising concerns” amid “a very particular backdrop for our industry and economy”, EurActiv reported. As well as facing fears that the tax breaks laid out in the IRA could lure business away from Europe, the EU also has concerns about China’s tight grasp on the production of many minerals and technologies key for low-carbon energy. China is currently the leading global supplier of low-carbon energy technologies. It holds at least 60% of the world’s manufacturing capacity for technologies such as solar, wind and batteries and accounts for 40% of electrolyser manufacturing, according to the International Energy Agency. It also has a near-monopoly on the production of many minerals critical for low-carbon technologies (more on this below). On 17 January during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, von der Leyen told delegates that the EU would counter the IRA with its own Green Deal Industrial Plan, Reuters reported. She told reporters that she first had the idea for such a plan in September 2022, but did not yet have the support of all EU governments. (It comes after the EU published its REPowerEU strategy in May 2022, which aimed to end the bloc’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels following the invasion of Ukraine. While this strategy focused on reducing fossil fuel use, the new Green Deal Industrial Plan focuses more on boosting low-carbon manufacturing and industry within Europe.) On 1 February, the commission announced the first details of its Green Deal Industrial Plan. Von der Leyen said in a statement the plan would aim “to secure the EU’s industrial lead in the fast-growing net-zero technology sector”. According to the commission, the plan can be split into four pillars. The first pillar of the plan is to create a “simpler regulatory framework”. To achieve this, the commission is proposing a new Net-Zero Industry Act to “identify goals for net-zero industrial capacity and provide a regulatory framework suited for its quick deployment”. (The Net-Zero Industry Act, which was published on 16 March, is discussed in more detail below.) The commission added that the Net-Zero Industry Act will be complemented by a Critical Raw Materials Act to “ensure sufficient access to those materials”. (This act was also published on 16 March and is discussed in more detail below.) The second pillar of the plan is to “speed up investment for clean-tech production in Europe”. To achieve this, the commision wants to amend its framework for state subsidies to increase support for low-carbon technologies. The commission also promised to facilitate the use of existing EU funds for low-carbon projects, it says. The third pillar of the plan is to ensure the transition to net-zero creates new high-skilled jobs, according to the commission (more on this below). And the final pillar of the plan is to ensure that any green trade is carried out “under the principles of fair competition and open trade”. (It comes after the EU accused the US of flouting World Trade Organization rules with the IRA, more detail below.) All of the new legislation proposed by the commission will need to be approved by member state governments in the European Council and by public representatives in the European Parliament, before it can be implemented. Back to top What are the targets for low-carbon technologies in the EU? The proposed Net-Zero Industry Act repeats the EU’s commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and, as a stepping stone, slashing emissions by 55% on 1990 levels by 2030. Under a section titled “reasons for” the proposal, the commission cites recent plans to boost low-carbon industries in other countries, including the IRA and China’s green policies, as well as Japan’s Green Transformation programme and India’s Production Linked Incentive scheme. (A leaked draft of the act said these schemes risked “dragging away” investments from the EU). The proposed act sets a “headline benchmark” of ensuring that at least 40% of low-carbon technology needs are met by manufacturing within the EU by 2030. Specifically, this target applies to a list of eight “strategic net-zero technologies”, which excludes nuclear power. The eight technologies are: Solar power and solar thermal Onshore and offshore wind power Batteries and energy storage Heat pumps and geothermal energy Electrolysers and fuel cells Sustainable biogas/biomethane Carbon capture and storage (CCS) Grid technologies The proposal says the 40% benchmark represents “an overall political ambition of achieving high resilience across strategic net-zero technologies and the overall energy system, while taking into account the need to pursue that ambition in a flexible and diversified way”. It notes that for some technologies, such as solar PV modules, the 40% figure “represents a realistic, but ambitious scale-up effort of the corresponding manufacturing capacity”. (Europe currently imports nearly all of its solar PV modules – mostly from China, according to the International Energy Agency.) An earlier leaked version of the act had listed specific manufacturing targets for different low-carbon technologies by 2030, but they did not make it into the final draft. These included: Ensuring 40% of solar annual deployment needs are met by manufacturing in the EU. Ensuring 85% of wind annual deployment needs are met by manufacturing in the EU. Ensuring 60% of heat pump annual deployment needs are met by manufacturing in the EU. Ensuring 85% of battery annual demand is met by manufacturing in the EU. Ensuring 50% of the renewable and green hydrogen annual deployment needs are met by electrolyser manufacturing in the EU. These initial targets “raised a lot of eyebrows”, says Domien Vangenechten, a senior policy adviser at climate thinktank E3G. He tells Carbon Brief: “They were very technology specific. I think the EU is taking the safe route here by saying we’re not going to be very prescriptive by setting manufacturing targets for individual sectors, but more healthy aspirational targets.” He added that it is likely that the 40% benchmark figure will be further digested and scrutinised in the coming months. Achieving the benchmark would require shifts to global low-carbon energy supply chains. China is currently the leading global supplier of low-carbon energy technologies. It holds at least 60% of the world’s manufacturing capacity for technologies such as solar, wind and batteries and accounts for 40% of electrolyser manufacturing, according to the International Energy Agency. The chart below, also from the IEA, shows China’s dominance (red) in manufacturing capacity for low-carbon technologies such as solar, wind and batteries in 2021. Another target, which is quite distinct from the rest of the strategy, is an EU-wide objective to develop 50m tonnes of CO2 storage by 2030. There is currently no “injection capacity” in the EU, but countries such as Denmark and Netherland are already working on plans. The commission plans to mandate existing oil-and-gas producers to make depleted gas fields and other capacity available to store CO2. Simone Tagliapietra, from the thinktank Bruegel, tells Carbon Brief that, in his view, this is “the most viable element” of the whole Net-Zero Industry Act, as it would see an EU-wide target broken down into individual targets for fossil fuel companies. Back to top How would the EU cut ‘red tape’ for low-carbon projects? The Net Zero Industry Act’s primary aim is to create a “predictable and simplified regulatory environment” for net-zero projects. In her statement introducing the the Green Deal Industrial Plan, Von der Leyen said: “It will speed up permitting – this is one of the major complaints. When you speak to the net-zero industry, the major complaint is always the permitting processes…A big focus is on cutting red tape.” This point is reiterated in the act, which says: “The unpredictability, complexity and at times, excessive length of national permit-granting processes undermines the investment security needed for the effective development of net-zero technologies manufacturing projects.” The issue of long permitting delays for building new EU wind and solar projects was addressed in the REPowerEU plan last year. The European Parliament subsequently agreed on a tightened nine-month permitting time for installations in designated “renewable acceleration areas”, though this still needs to be approved by member states. Rather than installation, this week’s new act focuses on factories for manufacturing these low-carbon technologies and their components. As it stands, such facilities take between two and seven years to undergo permitting, the commission says, depending on the country and technology. The commission proposes to dramatically shorten this time, but how much depends on whether or not technologies are deemed “strategic”. Eight “strategic net-zero technologies” – the ones covered by the 40% manufacturing target – are given “priority status”. They have been selected on the basis of being “commercially available”, with “a good potential for rapid scale-up”. The commission says new factories for strategic net-zero technologies should be given a permit within 12 months, if they have annual manufacturing capacity of more than 1 gigawatt (GW). This falls to nine months if their output is below 1GW. If member state authorities fail to comply with these time limits, projects would be automatically approved, unless they require a specific environmental impact assessment. Factories making other net-zero technologies are also covered by the act, but they have longer permitting time limits of 18 months and 12 months, for sites with output above and below 1GW, respectively. (For projects that are not measured on a GW basis, the upper time limits would apply.) Technologies that are not included on the priority list include sustainable aviation fuels and, significantly, nuclear power. The latter was initially pegged to appear as the ninth “strategic” technology on the priority list. However, there were reports of disputes between commissioners over whether it should stay. In the end, the act only covers factories making machinery and components for “advanced” nuclear technologies and “small modular reactors”, rather than for nuclear power plants in general. Under the commission’s proposals, member states would set up a national authority as a “one stop shop” for permitting net-zero manufacturing projects. While it says EU environmental assessments are “an integral part” of permit granting, it also states: “Based on its case-by-case assessment, a responsible permitting authority may conclude that the public interest served by the project overrides the public interests related to nature and environmental protection and that consequently the project may be authorised.” Some environmental NGOs have expressed concern about deregulation and looser permitting processes that might clash with environmental protections. European Commission climate lead Frans Timmermans acknowledged these concerns in a press briefing launching the act, explaining: “It sounds like squaring the circle when you first start thinking about this, but what we think we can do is speed up processes without undermining our nature legislation, and I think this can be done through streamlining the processes [and] working very closely with authorities at all levels to also employ industry from the get-go.” Timmermans also seemed optimistic about public support for the strategy. He cited the broad support for moving away from Russian fossil fuels following the invasion of Ukraine, adding that “the whole issue of NIMBY [not in my back yard] has become completely different”. Back to top How does the EU plan to source ‘critical raw materials’? “Critical raw materials” are defined by the EU as metals and minerals that are economically important, but have high risks associated with their supply. Many are vital for the net-zero transition, including the lithium used in batteries and the copper for wind turbines. The International Energy Agency (IEA) anticipates that global demand for these kinds of materials will roughly quadruple over the next two decades. EU officials have often made the comparison with the bloc’s current dependence on fossil fuel imports from foreign powers. Von der Leyen said in her 2022 state of the union address that “we must avoid becoming dependent again, as we did with oil and gas”. The EU is 100% dependent on imports for half of the 30 minerals it defined as “critical”, as of 2020, according to research institute DIW Berlin. The institute also notes that many of the countries the bloc is dependent on are “less democratic”. Europe does not have a large share of many critical mineral reserves, nor does it account for much mining. This can be seen in the IEA chart below, with the continent’s shares for key resources indicated by dark blue bars. China is seen as the main focus of this part of the EU’s plan. China has a near-monopoly on many critical mineral exports, which has already led to supply chain issues in Europe. This is generally not because of China’s large reserves – as seen in the figure above – although it does mine more rare-earth elements than any other country. Instead, as the IEA chart below shows, China (red) tends to dominate in the processing and refining of minerals. The Critical Raw Materials Act, another component of the EU’s strategy, includes goals of increasing the bloc’s domestic capacity, diversifying its trading partners, monitoring for future risks and increasing the “circularity and sustainability” of critical raw material use. It states: “The risk of supply disruptions is increasing against the background of rising geopolitical tensions and resource competition.” Industries such as lithium and rare-earth metal mining are essentially non-existent in the EU, although it does have some reserves. The commission proposes scaling up rapidly by giving special treatment to “strategic projects” involved with mining, processing or recycling. These projects would be identified by the commission, working with a European Critical Raw Materials Board – a new central purchasing agency to coordinate action across the EU. The act adds that the recently revised state aid rules may allow countries to channel more public funds into critical minerals extraction. (See: How will low-carbon technologies be financed under the Green Deal Industrial Plan?) As it stands, permitting for mines in the EU can take a decade or more. The act emphasises the need to speed up the early stages of strategic projects, noting that assessment processes “should remain light and not overly burdensome”. Campaigners have expressed concerns that this would mean environmental safeguards are overlooked and communities are ignored. The development of new mines in some parts of the bloc is already facing a backlash, for example from Portuguese villagers and Indigenous groups in Sweden. The act acknowledges these issues, emphasising the importance of “ensuring environmental protection, socially responsible practices and transparent business practices”. It adds: “As public acceptance of mining projects is crucial for their effective implementation, the promoter should also provide a plan containing measures to facilitate public acceptance.” One way to reduce the need for new mines is to lean more into recycling. Prof Lukas Menkhoff, head of the global economy department at the thinktank DIW Berlin, tells Carbon Brief he is “glad to see a quota for recycling” in the act, but adds: “In the short-run, however, 15% may be ambitious, if we think, for example, about batteries from cars which may not be often replaced until 2030.” The EU does not have sufficient reserves of every critical raw material within its borders. The act, therefore, acknowledges the need to rely on other nations for imports, but emphasises diversifying the bloc’s supply chains. The commission lays out the need for partnerships with trusted, resource-rich countries where it can support “strategic projects” that will guarantee the EU a supply while remaining “mutually beneficial”. It mentions Chile and Australia as having potential for “win-win partnerships”. These projects could be supported by the EU’s Global Gateway, a €300bn pot for financing EU interests abroad. The commission emphasises that “high environmental and social conditions continue to apply” for these foreign initiatives. The act sets a target of not being dependent on one single nation outside of the EU for more than 65% of any one critical raw material by 2030. This proposal has reportedly already made waves in China’s renewables industry. Diego Marin, a policy officer for raw materials at the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) tells Carbon Brief that Chile, for example, already provides more than 65% of the EU’s lithium, but says this is unlikely to be wound back: “Chile and the EU have a pretty good relationship. I think this is more of a dig at China.” The Green Deal Industrial Plan also mentions “explor[ing] the creation of a Critical Raw Materials Club” to bring together consumer and producer countries. (On 13 March, the Financial Times reported that the US and EU have launched new talks on critical minerals.) Back to top How is the EU proposing to reform electricity markets? After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused energy prices to spike last year, the European Commission pledged to reform the EU’s electricity market rules. In doing so, the commission hoped to make energy bills less susceptible to swings in fossil fuel prices, of the kind seen when Russian gas supplies were curtailed. It also wanted to allow consumers to experience the benefits of lost-cost renewable power. Under the existing system, electricity prices are set in the same way as for all other commodities, via “marginal pricing”. In practice, this means electricity prices are set by the most expensive power plant needed to meet demand at each moment – usually gas – rather than by increasingly cheap renewables. In response to the high cost of electricity driven by record-high gas prices, the commission expressed a desire to “decouple” electricity from gas prices. However, EU member states have disagreed about how ambitious these market reforms should be. Nations including France and Spain have favoured extensive changes, while Germany among others has warned against such deep reforms. The commission has now published its proposals for reform as part of the bundle of Green Deal Industrial Plan documents. In the end, it has opted for a system that would support the deployment of renewables, but would not fundamentally change the way the electricity market is structured. It argues that this will, ultimately, yield the same result of reducing reliance on fossil fuels and cutting bills. “The commission plans to tackle high prices from gas power generation in the best way – by reducing its significance,” said Vilislava Ivanova, clean energy systems research manager at E3G, in a statement. However, the commission acknowledges that until renewable power has become even more widespread, “we need to structure consumer contracts in a way that reduces their volatility, and decouples citizens’ energy bills from the prices in short-term wholesale markets”. Therefore, it proposes giving consumers a wider choice of energy contracts and the option to lock in long-term prices. “This will, in practice, reduce their exposure to any price surge,” it explains. It says that people should still be able to choose flexible power contracts for items such as electric cars, to benefit from periods of low electricity prices by charging overnight, for example. Long-term electricity contracts would also be available for large consumers in industry, through power purchase agreements (PPAs), which would guarantee more stable prices. Low-carbon power developers would also benefit from greater stability under the commission’s plans, in the form of contracts for difference (CfDs). The reforms would require any new public financial support for renewables and nuclear power to be in the form of CfDs. Such contracts provide guaranteed revenue to project developers, while member states would be obliged to give back any excess revenue they make from the projects to consumers. The UK government has effectively deployed CfDs to scale up its renewable capacity, but they are not currently widely used across the EU. Summarising its proposals, the commission states: “The ultimate objective is to provide secure, stable investment conditions for renewable and low-carbon energy developers by bringing down risk and capital costs while avoiding windfall profits in periods of high prices.” Back to top How will EU green industry be financed and subsidised? A key goal of the Green Deal Industrial Plan is to “speed up investment and financing for clean tech production in Europe”. The Net Zero Industry Act makes several proposals. These include establishing a Net Zero Industry Platform to “identify bottlenecks and potential best practices” for finance. However, perhaps the most significant financial element of the plan has already been implemented. Following a brief consultation with member states, the European Commission has loosened state aid rules for renewables and other low-carbon projects. This could herald a “subsidy race” as member state governments now have more leeway to pump billions of euros into low-carbon technologies to match the US and other nations. The move has variously been described as a “radical departure” and a “paradigm shift” for the EU. The bloc has traditionally put tight boundaries on national subsidies, to prevent member states from entering into subsidy races with each other. As of 9 March, however, the Temporary Crisis Framework, which was initially set up as a short-term measure to help member states following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has been renamed the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework. This framework allows member states to spend money on “measures needed for the transition towards a net-zero industry” until the end of 2025. However, they will only be allowed to “match” subsidies seen outside the EU, in order to prevent industries leaving the bloc. Accompanying this is a revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation, through which the commission can approve certain categories of state aid. This revision adds key low-carbon sectors, such as hydrogen and zero-emission vehicles, to the list of industries eligible for subsidies. This will allow member states to provide state aid to these sectors without notifying the commission. The new rules have proved controversial. Smaller EU nations raised concerns about harmful competition within the bloc, fearing they could be outgunned by larger and wealthier member states. EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager acknowledged that “European countries are not equal when it comes to state aid”. In the past, subsidy packages have been dominated by the bloc’s larger economies. For example, Germany and France accounted for around 80% of the state aid under the first iteration of the Temporary Crisis Framework. Both countries have been enthusiastic about relaxing state aid rules in response to the US Inflation Reduction Act. Environmental NGOs voiced these concerns about competition within the EU in a joint letter to the commission: “The mere relaxation of state aid rules without substantial additional environmental safeguards and financial mechanisms is likely to lead to further divergence across EU economies, as poorer EU countries may not have the fiscal space for investing in the green transition.” The commission has tried to address some of these concerns – for example, by imposing some restrictions on applications for subsidies in larger EU states. Olivier Vardakoulias, a finance and subsidies policy expert at Climate Action Network Europe, tells Carbon Brief that NGOs are also concerned about the focus of the EU proposals on public subsidy, without equivalent consideration for regulating or directing private funds: “If one provides carrots to EU industry in the form of public subsidies, what are the sticks? Especially for big companies that clearly have access to private finance. There is a question mark there around whether this is the best use of public resources at a time of a cost of living crisis and huge investment needs for green public infrastructure to meet climate, biodiversity and circular economy targets.” Aside from relying on member states to introduce subsidies, the plan mentions “facilitating” the use of existing EU funds, such as those from REPowerEU and InvestEU. Beyond this, NGOs have called for completely new EU funding sources. The commission is working on a proposal to do this, namely a “European Sovereignty Fund”. This will be discussed during the revision of the EU’s multiannual budget this summer and is meant to provide a “structural answer to the investment needs” of the bloc. It is unclear how much money this would entail and where it would come from. Following the launch of the Net-Zero Industry Act, the Financial Times reported on warnings from low-carbon business leaders that the plans “will fail unless they are backed up with more money”. It also noted concerns that the act’s emphasis on using EU-sourced technologies could result in higher prices and lower quality for low-carbon products. Back to top How would the plan create ‘high-skilled jobs’? The third pillar of the commission’s proposed Green Deal Industrial Plan is to create “well-paid quality jobs” in the low-carbon technology sector. This is important because an estimated 35-40% of all jobs in the EU could be “affected” by the transition to net-zero, the commision said in a statement. The Net-Zero Industry Act proposal says that the commission will provide seed funding to support the establishment of “net-zero industry academies”. The aim of these academies will be to develop training and education on how to produce low-carbon technologies and to enhance the skills of the existing workforce in member states, according to the act. It states that EU member states should assess the efficacy of the learning programmes developed by the net-zero industry academies by the end of 2024 and every two years after. The academies should be overseen by a “net-zero Europe platform”, the act says. This platform should also “facilitate closer coordination and the exchange of best practices between member states to enhance the availability of skills in the net-zero industry, including by contributing to Union and member states policies to attract new talents, both from the Union and from third countries”. Back to top How does the plan aim to ensure ‘fair trade’ for ‘green’ businesses? The fourth pillar of the Green Deal Industrial Plan is to ensure that any “green trade” is carried out “under the principles of fair competition and open trade”. It comes after the EU accused the US of flouting World Trade Organization rules with the IRA. (China recently accused the EU of flouting WTO standards with its carbon border adjustment mechanism.) To this aim, the commission will continue to “develop the EU’s network of free trade agreements” to support its net-zero goal, it says. An earlier leaked draft of the Net-Zero Industry Act had some experts concerned that the EU itself may be acting in a protectionist manner with some of its proposed terms. As EurActiv noted in its reporting, the leak stated that, for public procurement, EU authorities should consider the “tender’s contribution to the security of supply”. It further added that security of supply depends on “the proportion of the products originating in third countries”. This could have been interpreted as meaning that authorities will have to consider whether the low-carbon technology they are buying is produced within the EU or not. Such a stipulation could have put the proposal in conflict with the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement, an expert told EurActiv. However, the final version of the proposal revised the language around public procurement. It instead says that EU authorities should take into account “the proportion of the products originating from a single source of supply” rather than from “third countries”. This can be interpreted as a “positive change” in terms of open trade, says Ignacio Arroniz, a trade and climate researcher at E3G. He tells Carbon Brief: “It’s the difference between saying that you should not depend on any country [outside of the EU] to that you should not depend on one given country…It’s got more of an anti-China feeling to it, but it doesn’t have an ‘anti-every other country’ feel.” (China currently supplies almost all of Europe’s solar PV module imports, as well as around half its battery and EV imports, according to the IEA.) Experts tell Carbon Brief that, overall, the commission’s proposal is framed more around competition with other nations than explicitly boosting climate action. Avantika Goswami, programme manager for climate change at Indian thinktank CSE, tells Carbon Brief that an industrial decarbonisation strategy from the EU is welcome: “With more investment in green industry by the EU, over time those technologies could be deployed more and then over time costs could go down, and that could be made available to the rest of the world…[But] there are a lot of ‘what ifs’ involved in that.” However, she also voices concerns about the impact potentially punitive trade policies could have on industries in global south nations, as they attempt to decarbonise.

पराली से बनेगी दिल्ली की बिजली, NCR के पावर प्लांटों को 30 सितंबर से 5 फीसदी पराली का करना होगा इस्तेमाल

नई दिल्ली: राजधानी दिल्ली में अब पराली से बिजली बनाई जाएगी। सीएक्यूएम (कमिशन फॉर एयर क्वॉलिटी एंड मैनेजमेंट) ने निर्देश जारी किए हैं कि एनसीआर के सभी 11 थर्मल पावर प्लांटों को 30 सितंबर से 5 प्रतिशत पराली का इस्तेमाल ईंधन के तौर पर करना होगा। इसके बाद 31 दिसंबर से इन प्लांटों को 10 प्रतिशत पराली का इस्तेमाल करना होगा। साथ ही इन पावर प्लांटों को धुंआ कम करने के लिए सभी मानकों का पालन भी करना होगा। यह मानक मिनिस्ट्री ऑफ एनवायरनमेंट फॉरेस्ट एंड क्लाइमेट चेंज ने 2015 में नोटिफाई किए थे। सीएक्यूएम के अनुसार कमिशन को इन निर्देशों की पहली एक्शन टेकन रिपोर्ट 30 सितंबर 2023 में सबमिट की जाएगी। इसके बाद यह हर महीने सबमिट होगी। दिल्ली के 300 किलोमीटर दायरे में 11 थर्मल पावर प्लांट चल रहे हैं। सितंबर 2021 में कमिशन ने निर्देश जारी किए थे कि यह प्लांट 5 से 10 प्रतिशत पराली का ईंधन के तौर पर इस्तेमाल करेंगे। तीन दिन पहले ही सीएसई (सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट) ने एक रिपोर्ट में दावा किया है कि दिल्ली एनसीआर में कोयले से चलने वाले पावर प्लांट पराली का इस्तेमाल करने में पीछे हैं। रिपोर्ट मे बताया गया है कि ये प्लांट अभी तक इन आदेशों का पालन नहीं कर रहे हैं। इसकी वजह यह है कि पराली की सप्लाई और डिमांड में काफी अंतर है। रिपोर्ट में बताया गया कि पराली के छोटे गट्ठर बनाने वाली यूनिट देश में काफी कम हैं। दिल्ली एनसीआर में इनकी क्षमता 2500 टन प्रति दिन है, जबकि डिमांड लगभग दोगुनी है। रिपोर्ट के अनुसार पावर प्लांट टेंडर में जानबूझकर देरी करते हैं। सरकारी आंकड़ों के अनुसार दिल्ली एनसीआर में 12 मीलियन टन बायोमास गट्ठर के लॉन्ग टर्म टेंडर हुए लेकिन इनमें से 73 प्रतिशत अभी तक जारी नहीं किए गए हैं। इतना ही नहीं 11 प्लांट में से करीब पांच ने पराली गट्ठर की मात्रा का टेंडर काफी कम किया। कुछ पावर प्लांट ने इसे लेकर इलेक्ट्रिसिटी रेगुलेटरी कमिशन ऑफ हरियाणा में अपील भी की थी। सीएसई के इंडस्ट्रियल पल्यूशन के प्रोग्राम डायरेक्टर निवित कुमार यादव ने बताया कि करीब डेढ़ साल से बाद अब यह निर्देश जारी किए गए हैं। मिनिस्ट्री की तरफ से यह नोटिफिकेशन जारी किया गया है। इसमें इन पावर प्लांट को राहत दी गई है। इन्हें दो साल का समय दिया गया है। साथ ही पराली के इस्तेमाल को 5 से 10 प्रतिशत की बजाय पांच प्रतिशत कर दिया गया है।

Bengaluru's air quality worsened 8% in 2022: Study

In yet another study, Bengaluru's air quality was observed to have deteriorated in 2022, when compared to 2021. Switzerland-based firm IQAir, in it's 2022 World Air Quality Report, said Bengaluru's air quality worsened by over 8 per cent in 2022. Bengaluru had PM2.5 levels of 31.5 µg/m³ in 2022, 8.6 per cent higher than the 29 µg/m³ recorded in 2021. November was the worst month for the city, with PM2.5 levels at 45.8 µg/m³. The PM2.5 levels in the city went from 18.1 µg/m³ to 36.9 µg/m³ from September to October, the report said. This is when the air quality in the city went downhill after the winter effect coupled with Deepawali celebrations. This comes after a similar study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which came out with a report analysing winter air pollution trends in five major cities across India, including Bengaluru. The report said Bengaluru saw the fastest worsening of PM2.5 levels, and also experienced the worst peak pollution this winter in the last four years. In relief, Bengaluru's civic body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) allocated ₹450 crore in this year's budget to control the high AQI levels in the city. The BBMP has looked at introducing fresh measures to mitigate pollution, such as the construction of parks below flyovers and tech corridors. The civic agency will also be constructing fountains at 75 main junctions in Bengaluru, and transform the city into a green zone with shuttle service around metro stations, promotion of electric cars and similar such services.

India: How electric vehicles are driving a green transition

Last year, electric vehicle (EV) sales in India reached a million units, a significant leap of over 300% from the around 320,000 units sold over the previous year, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. While a third of EVs sold were electric three-wheelers, EVs accounted for 4.7% of overall automobile sales of the nearly 3.7 million passenger vehicles in 2022. The country has over 1.88 million registered EVs. EVs moving ahead With a surging car market, India's transition to electric mobility will be faster as automobile companies make big-ticket investments in the development of infrastructure to facilitate electric vehicle penetration in the country, industry experts expect. "I am bullish about the EV market. Given the right impetus, rising EV adoption will create an immediate requirement to embrace the next-generation needs of the automotive industry," Jaideep Wadhwa, director of Sterling Gtake E-Mobility, a motor control units' manufacturer for EVs, told DW. Rolling out electric vehicles in India 06:09 India is the third-largest automobile market globally in terms of sales, even ahead of major markets like Germany and Japan. Given the encouraging signs, there is now a push for manufacturers and policymakers to work together to shift demand towards greener options. The Economic Survey 2023, an annual document of the Finance Ministry, predicts that India's domestic electric vehicle market will see a 49% compound annual growth rate between 2022 and 2030, with 10 million annual sales by 2030. Additionally, the electric vehicle industry is projected to create around 50 million direct and indirect jobs in the next seven years. Investment opportunities Another independent study by the Center for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF) showed that the EV market in India will be a $206 billion (€194 billion) opportunity by the end of this decade if it maintains steady progress to meet its ambitious 2030 target. This would require a cumulative investment of over $180 billion in vehicle production and charging infrastructure. In 2021, the Indian EV industry attracted $6 billion in investment and is becoming steadily more attractive to private equity and venture capital investors. "This is a positive sign that the market is picking up, especially in the two and three-wheeler segments where the cost of ownership and cost parity with the internal combustion engines have improved considerably," Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at Center for Science and Environment, told DW. Chowdhury pointed out that the ongoing federal government incentive program and state-level policies have contributed to this trend and have also helped to build the electric bus program for zero emissions urban commuting. Meeting India's climate targets At the COP26 summit in Glasgow, India pledged to achieve net-zero emissions status by 2070 and to lower its emission intensity by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030. EVs could help realize these goals and play a pivotal role in India's green transition. In Glasgow, India rolled out its website e-AMRIT, which functions as a one-stop destination for all information on EVs and addresses concerns about the adoption of EVs and their purchase — such as charging facility locations and EV financing options as well as information about investment opportunities, government policies, and available subsidies for drivers and manufacturers. Currently, the transport sector accounts for 18% of total energy consumption in India, which translates to an estimated 94 million tons of oil-equivalent (MTOE) energy. E-rickshaws to the rescue 06:25 The Bureau of Energy Efficiency estimates that, if India were to follow the current trends of energy consumption, it would require an estimated 200 MTOE of energy supply annually by 2030 to meet demand. "With supportive government policies, increasing consumer awareness, and improvements in technology, we will transition towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly mode of transportation," a senior government official told DW, requesting anonymity. Indian conglomerates such as Reliance, Adani, and Tata are similarly investing in electric vehicles and green hydrogen. They are beginning to invest huge money consequently in clean technology sectors such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure, biofuels, renewables, carbon capture and storage, and green hydrogen. But the road to a fully-electric ecosystem still has a distance to traverse with high costs, inadequate infrastructure, and lack of high performing EVs, cited as reasons. Hoping to convert more consumers into EV owners, the government is offering subsidies for its purchase, and a tax exemption of 150,000 Indian Rupees (€1,708, $1,818) is also given for people buying electric cars on loan. The future of transportation During the stage of "faster adoption and manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles" (FAME), the government has been trying to improve the infrastructure for electric vehicle manufacturing in the country. There are more than 65,000 gas stations in the country but only 1,640 EV charging stations. Petroleum companies are expected to come up with a plan for 22,000 EV charging stations by 2024. In comparison, China has approximately 900,000. Moreover, a battery swapping policy has been put forward as an easier way to charge EVs. Last year, the government also announced a production-linked incentive scheme for automakers, a part of which aims to boost electric vehicle manufacturing. "A lot of things are possible. Every street lamp can also be turned into a charging station with the swipe of a credit card. But what is good to know is that many states have introduced policies that have led to the increased adoption of EVs," Wadhwa said. Delhi's fight against smog rides on electric vehicles 02:51 However, the change in the electric car segment compared to two- and three-wheelers, is slower, as costs are still high. According to NITI Aayog, an Indian public policy think tank, by 2030, 80% of two- and three-wheelers, 40% of buses and 30%-70% of cars in India will be EVs. While it is encouraging to see the market picking up, Chowdhury stressed a lot more is needed to meet NITI Aayog's recommended aspirational target. "This will require immediate intervention to define the next stage of the current incentive program, which is coming to an end in 2024, and a regulatory target with zero emissions vehicle mandate to accelerate the electric mobility transition," Chowdhury said.

DMRC to install vertical solar panels between Jamia and Okhla Metro stations

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) plans to install vertical solar panels on either side of the elevated 0.8km-long stretch between Jamia Millia Islamia and Okhla Vihar Metro stations of the Magenta Line, officials said Wednesday, adding the pilot will begin from August after the tender process is completed. The officials added the pilot will help assess whether these two-sided solar panels are more effective than conventional ones and whether they can double up as noise barriers. To be sure, the Delhi Metro passes several densely populated areas in the Capital, and noise barriers would effectively prevent sound and vibrations from travelling too far into residential pockets. According to officials, bifacial solar panels are installed vertically unlike conventional rooftop panels, and so even with the direction of the sunlight changing throughout the day, at least one side of the panels is able to generate electricity. “On the basis of an initial study and evaluation, the Jamia Millia to Okhla Vihar Metro section of the Magenta Line was identified for the installation of these vertical solar panels, considering parameters such as shadow-casting obstructions, possible energy yield,noise reduction analysis, vibration and wind load, along with possible installation and maintenance constraints,” said Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications, DMRC. While DMRC has currently installed solar panels that can generate 50MW of energy on its network so far, such vertical installations have the potential to generate another 60MW of energy across the NCR. Currently, DMRC operates a Metro network of approximately 390km comprising 286 stations. Dayal said the aim of the pilot is to install vertical solar photovoltaic (PV) modules on both sides of the Metro viaduct to enhance the generation of renewable energy to meet the energy requirements of the Metro’s elevated corridors. “We also aim to assess whether they can help in noise reduction by acting as noise barriers,” he said. Vertical panels with the capacity to generate 100 kWp in total will be installed as part of this pilot. Officials, however, said installation will be challenging as they will get only a small time slot of around three hours during non-revenue hours at night to set them up. Once installed, officials will test the power generation capacity of these panels and their efficacy in handling strong winds and vibrations generated by the Metro trains. They said they will also consult subject experts and global practices before installing these panels to ensure reflections off these panels do not distract vehicular traffic underneath. “This will help validate the design. It can then be replicated across more of the Metro network,” the Metro spokesperson said. According to experts, bifacial vertical panels are gradually gaining more attention, as they can generate more electricity as compared to conventional rooftop panels. “While the potential to generate energy is more, the cost to install is high at present. As more people adopt these panels, the overall cost will come down,” Binit Das, deputy programme manager, renewable energy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said.

Thermal power plants in Delhi-NCR not following govt order to use biomass to generate electricity: CSE

Many coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR have made very little progress on complying with directions to use biomass or agricultural residue for electricity generation, according to a new study released on Thursday. A recent (February 2023) notification by the Environment ministry has given these plants more leeway to delay meeting the directives, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which conducted the study, said. In October 2021, the Union Ministry of Power had mandated the plants to replace five to 10 per cent of the coal they use for electricity generation with biomass or agricultural residue. This was done to address the twin challenge of stubble burning and emissions. These plants had to achieve five per cent of co-firing by September 2022, and escalate it to seven per cent the following year. However, hardly any progress has been made by the plants in Delhi-NCR, the green think tank said. The 11 coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR, in addition to adhering to the ministry’s policy, were also given a separate direction by the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) in September 2021 to co-fire biomass. Any non-adherence to the CAQM directive is considered an offense ‘punishable with imprisonment’ for a term that may extend up to five years or with fine of up to Rs 1 crore or both as per the CAQM Act, 2021. “Our study shows that cumulatively, less than one per cent of the coal consumed per year in these 11 plants had been replaced with agro-residues until December 2022,” Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE, said. The key reasons for this include a huge demand-supply gap. The power plants surveyed by CSE have pointed out that they do not have reliable long-term supply of pellets. The Indira Gandhi thermal power plant in Jhajjar, Haryana, has invited manufacturers to set up a biomass pellet making unit on its premises, but the facility is yet to come up. There is a gap in demand and supply as there are a limited number of pellet manufacturers in the country, Yadav said. In Delhi-NCR, the cumulative capacity of pellet manufacturers is around 2,500 tonnes a day, whereas the demand is twice that. The manufacturers find selling biomass or agricultural residues to industries more lucrative and less tedious. They claim that the tenders issued by the power plants are not being awarded on purpose and the process is being delayed unnecessarily, the CSE said. Government records show that power plants in Delhi-NCR have issued long-term tenders for approximately 12 million tonnes of biomass pellets; however, 73 per cent of these tenders are yet to be awarded, the study said. Until December 2022, the power plants under the ownership of Haryana government — the Rajiv Gandhi TPP, Yamuna Nagar TPP, and Panipat TPP – have issued both short-term and long-term tenders, but none of these orders have been awarded. The Mahatma Gandhi TPP, Dadri TPP, and Indira Gandhi TPP are the only coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR that have successfully placed long-term orders by December 2022, it said. The study also revealed that in five of the 11 plants —Panipat TPP, Mahatma Gandhi TPP, Nabha TPP, Ropar TPP, and Guru Hargobind TPP — the tenders issued for biomass pellets are of much lesser quantity than required for replacement of five per cent of the coal-based fuel for ‘actual’ generation of electricity in the financial year 2021–2022, it said. The CSE also found that some of the power plants – such as Panipat and Rajiv Gandhi TPPs – have tried to get an exemption from complying with the policy on co-firing biomass by appealing to the Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) of Haryana. The commission has however denied the request. “There is an obvious reluctance in adhering to the policy on biomass co-firing by the power plants in Delhi-NCR. These plants are co-firing biomass only intermittently. A majority of the plants are apprehensive about the supply chain issues and have not taken any strong measures that will build the confidence of the pellet manufacturers or ease their concerns,” Yadav said. After almost one and a half year of the directive issued by the Ministry of Power and the CAQM – and after the lapse of the deadline in September 2022 — the Union Environment Ministry has released a new notification on biomass co-firing on February 16. The new notification has pushed the deadlines for compliance by two more years and limited the percentage of co-firing to five per cent. “As had happened with the emission norms, the new notification has diluted the norms and pushed the deadlines for biomass co-firing, absolving the coal-based power plants from the taking the onus of slow uptake of the policy implementation,” Yadav said. PTI GVS TDS TDS

Thermal power plants in Delhi-NCR not following govt order to use biomass to generate electricity CSE

Many coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR have made very little progress on complying with directions to use biomass or agricultural residue for electricity generation, according to a new study released on Thursday. A recent (February 2023) notification by the Environment ministry has given these plants more leeway to delay meeting the directives, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which conducted the study, said. In October 2021, the Union Ministry of Power had mandated the plants to replace five to 10 per cent of the coal they use for electricity generation with biomass or agricultural residue. This was done to address the twin challenge of stubble burning and emissions. These plants had to achieve five per cent of co-firing by September 2022, and escalate it to seven per cent the following year. However, hardly any progress has been made by the plants in Delhi-NCR, the green think tank said. The 11 coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR, in addition to adhering to the ministry's policy, were also given a separate direction by the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) in September 2021 to co-fire biomass. Any non-adherence to the CAQM directive is considered an offense 'punishable with imprisonment' for a term that may extend up to five years or with fine of up to Rs 1 crore or both as per the CAQM Act, 2021. "Our study shows that cumulatively, less than one per cent of the coal consumed per year in these 11 plants had been replaced with agro-residues until December 2022," Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE, said. The key reasons for this include a huge demand-supply gap. The power plants surveyed by CSE have pointed out that they do not have reliable long-term supply of pellets. The Indira Gandhi thermal power plant in Jhajjar, Haryana, has invited manufacturers to set up a biomass pellet making unit on its premises, but the facility is yet to come up. There is a gap in demand and supply as there are a limited number of pellet manufacturers in the country, Yadav said. In Delhi-NCR, the cumulative capacity of pellet manufacturers is around 2,500 tonnes a day, whereas the demand is twice that. The manufacturers find selling biomass or agricultural residues to industries more lucrative and less tedious. They claim that the tenders issued by the power plants are not being awarded on purpose and the process is being delayed unnecessarily, the CSE said. Government records show that power plants in Delhi-NCR have issued long-term tenders for approximately 12 million tonnes of biomass pellets; however, 73 per cent of these tenders are yet to be awarded, the study said. Until December 2022, the power plants under the ownership of Haryana government — the Rajiv Gandhi TPP, Yamuna Nagar TPP, and Panipat TPP – have issued both short-term and long-term tenders, but none of these orders have been awarded. The Mahatma Gandhi TPP, Dadri TPP, and Indira Gandhi TPP are the only coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR that have successfully placed long-term orders by December 2022, it said. The study also revealed that in five of the 11 plants —Panipat TPP, Mahatma Gandhi TPP, Nabha TPP, Ropar TPP, and Guru Hargobind TPP -- the tenders issued for biomass pellets are of much lesser quantity than required for replacement of five per cent of the coal-based fuel for 'actual' generation of electricity in the financial year 2021–2022, it said. The CSE also found that some of the power plants – such as Panipat and Rajiv Gandhi TPPs – have tried to get an exemption from complying with the policy on co-firing biomass by appealing to the Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) of Haryana. The commission has however denied the request. "There is an obvious reluctance in adhering to the policy on biomass co-firing by the power plants in Delhi-NCR. These plants are co-firing biomass only intermittently. A majority of the plants are apprehensive about the supply chain issues and have not taken any strong measures that will build the confidence of the pellet manufacturers or ease their concerns," Yadav said. After almost one and a half year of the directive issued by the Ministry of Power and the CAQM – and after the lapse of the deadline in September 2022 -- the Union Environment Ministry has released a new notification on biomass co-firing on February 16. The new notification has pushed the deadlines for compliance by two more years and limited the percentage of co-firing to five per cent. "As had happened with the emission norms, the new notification has diluted the norms and pushed the deadlines for biomass co-firing, absolving the coal-based power plants from the taking the onus of slow uptake of the policy implementation," Yadav said.

Little progress in use of biomass by power plants

The 11 coal-based power plants in the Delhi-NCR region have made little progress in using biomass or agricultural residue pellets as co-burning fuel for electricity generation, a study of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has shown. Co-burning or co-firing is the technique of incorporating a secondary fuel, like biomass, with a primary fuel like coal in the same combustion equipment in a power plant. There are 11 coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR. "Our study shows that cumulatively, less than one per cent of coal consumed per year in these 11 plants has been replaced with agri residues until December 2022," Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE, said. The study cited a demand-supply gap as the key reason for such low use of biomass or agriculture residue pellets. The managements of the plants surveyed by the CSE pointed out that they do not have a reliable, long-term supply of pellets. The Indira Gandhi Thermal Power Plant in Jhajjar, Haryana, had invited manufacturers to set up a biomass pellet making unit on its premises, but that facility is yet to come up. The gap in demand and supply is mainly because there are a limited number of pellet manufacturers in the country, Yadav said. In Delhi-NCR, the cumulative capacity of pellet manufacturers is around 2,500 tonnes a day, while the demand is twice the quantity. In October 2021, to control emissions from stubble burning, the Union power ministry had mandated that plants replace 5 to 10 per cent of coal they use for electricity generation with biomass or agricultural residue pellets. The plants had to achieve 5% co-firing by September 2022 and raise it to 7% the following year. The study stated that a February 2023 notification by the Union environment ministry gave these plants the liberty to delay meeting the directives. The Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) in September 2021 had asked the power plants by to co-fire biomass. A non-adherence to the CAQM's directive is considered an offence "punishable with imprisonment" for a term that may extend up to five years or with fine of up to Rs 1 crore or both as per the CAQM Act, 2021.

Delhi-NCR में ताप विद्युत संयंत्र सरकारी आदेश का पालन नहीं कर रहे : CSE

विज्ञान एवं पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई) द्वारा बृहस्पतिवार को जारी एक नए अध्ययन से यह जानकारी मिली है। केंद्रीय बिजली मंत्रालय ने अक्टूबर 2021 में संयंत्रों को बिजली उत्पादन के लिए इस्तेमाल होने वाले पांच से 10 प्रतिशत कोयले के स्थान पर बायोमास या कृषि अवशेष का प्रयोग करने का आदेश दिया था। दिल्ली-राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र में कोयला द्वारा संचालित कई बिजली संयंत्रों ने विद्युत उत्पादन के लिए बायोमास या कृषि अवशेष इस्तेमाल करने के दिशा निर्देशों का पालन करने पर बहुत कम प्रगति की है। विज्ञान एवं पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई) द्वारा बृहस्पतिवार को जारी एक नए अध्ययन से यह जानकारी मिली है। केंद्रीय बिजली मंत्रालय ने अक्टूबर 2021 में संयंत्रों को बिजली उत्पादन के लिए इस्तेमाल होने वाले पांच से 10 प्रतिशत कोयले के स्थान पर बायोमास या कृषि अवशेष का प्रयोग करने का आदेश दिया था। पराली जलाने और उत्सर्जन की चुनौती से निपटने के लिए यह किया गया था। इन संयंत्रों को सितंबर 2022 तक बिजली उत्पादन के लिए इन दोनों सामग्री का इस्तेमाल करना था तथा आगामी वर्ष में इसे सात प्रतिशत तक बढ़ाना था। सीएसई ने कहा कि दिल्ली-एनसीआर में इन संयंत्रों में बमुश्किल ही कोई प्रगति की है। सीएसई के औद्योगिक प्रदूषण के कार्यक्रम निदेशक निवित कुमार यादव ने कहा, ‘‘हमारे अध्ययन से पता चलता है कि दिसंबर 2022 तक इन 11 संयंत्रों में हर साल जलाए गए कोयले के एक प्रतिशत से भी कम मात्रा में कृषि अवशेष का इस्तेमाल किया गया।’’ उन्होंने कहा कि इसकी एक बड़ी वजह भारी मांग-आपूर्ति में अंतर भी है। सीएसई ने यह भी पाया कि कुछ संयंत्रों जैसे कि पानीपत और राजीव गांधी ताप विद्युत केंद्र ने हरियाणा के बिजली नियामक आयोग में अपील करके बायोमास को एक साथ जलाने संबंधी नीति के पालन से छूट लेने की भी कोशिश की। हालांकि, आयेाग ने इस अनुरोध को ठुकरा दिया।

दिल्ली-एनसीआर में ताप विद्युत संयंत्र सरकारी आदेश का पालन नहीं कर रहे : सीएसई

दिल्ली-राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र में कोयला द्वारा संचालित कई बिजली संयंत्रों ने विद्युत उत्पादन के लिए बायोमास या कृषि अवशेष इस्तेमाल करने के दिशा निर्देशों का पालन करने पर बहुत कम प्रगति की है। विज्ञान एवं पर्यावरण केंद्र (सीएसई) द्वारा बृहस्पतिवार को जारी एक नए अध्ययन से यह जानकारी मिली है। केंद्रीय बिजली मंत्रालय ने अक्टूबर 2021 में संयंत्रों को बिजली उत्पादन के लिए इस्तेमाल होने वाले पांच से 10 प्रतिशत कोयले के स्थान पर बायोमास या कृषि अवशेष का प्रयोग करने का आदेश दिया था। पराली जलाने और उत्सर्जन की चुनौती से निपटने के लिए यह किया गया था। इन संयंत्रों को सितंबर 2022 तक बिजली उत्पादन के लिए इन दोनों सामग्री का इस्तेमाल करना था तथा आगामी वर्ष में इसे सात प्रतिशत तक बढ़ाना था। सीएसई ने कहा कि दिल्ली-एनसीआर में इन संयंत्रों में बमुश्किल ही कोई प्रगति की है। सीएसई के औद्योगिक प्रदूषण के कार्यक्रम निदेशक निवित कुमार यादव ने कहा, ‘‘हमारे अध्ययन से पता चलता है कि दिसंबर 2022 तक इन 11 संयंत्रों में हर साल जलाए गए कोयले के एक प्रतिशत से भी कम मात्रा में कृषि अवशेष का इस्तेमाल किया गया।’’ उन्होंने कहा कि इसकी एक बड़ी वजह भारी मांग-आपूर्ति में अंतर भी है। सीएसई ने यह भी पाया कि कुछ संयंत्रों जैसे कि पानीपत और राजीव गांधी ताप विद्युत केंद्र ने हरियाणा के बिजली नियामक आयोग में अपील करके बायोमास को एक साथ जलाने संबंधी नीति के पालन से छूट लेने की भी कोशिश की। हालांकि, आयेाग ने इस अनुरोध को ठुकरा दिया।

hermal Power Plants in Delhi-NCR Not Following Govt Order to Use Biomass to Generate Electricity: CSE

Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Many coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR have made very little progress on complying with directions to use biomass or agricultural residue for electricity generation, according to a new study released on Thursday. Many coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR have made very lit .. Read more at: https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/india-news-thermal-power-plants-in-delhi-ncr-not-following-govt-order-to-use-biomass-to-generate-electricity-cse-4954958.html In October 2021, the Union Ministry of Power had mandated th .. Read more at: https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/india-news-thermal-power-plants-in-delhi-ncr-not-following-govt-order-to-use-biomass-to-generate-electricity-cse-4954958.html