Fly ash output may reach 100 mtpa

Fly ash generation in Odisha may touch 100 million tonne per annum (mtpa) if all the installed and proposed thermal power plants (TPPs) in the state go into full capacity production.

The state government has signed MoUs with 29 Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

“Odisha generated about 24.52 million tonne of fly ash in 2013-14. It is likely to touch 100 million tonne per year if all TPPs envisaging a generation capacity of about 37000 Mw are commissioned,” said D K Behera, Senior Environment Scientist, State Pollution Control Board at a seminar on “Flyash Utilization in Contemporary Construction and Entrepreneurship Development”, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Odisha state council.

Odisha with 12,126 Mw thermal power generation capacity in 2013-14, utilised around 61.5 per cent of the fly ash generated in the last fiscal.

Behera said, the utilisation rate has increased significantly from 28.2 per cent in 2005 to 61.5 per cent through use of fly ash in land development, mine void filling, etc. The different components of fly ash use included 33.92 per cent for land development, 10.44 per cent for dyke raising, 5.08 per cent for coal mine void filling and 2.44 per cent for quarry filling.

Only 4.25 per cent of this waste material was used for brick manufacturing.

The power grade coal in Odisha contains about 40 – 48 per cent of ash and specific ash generation is 7-9 tonne per day per Mw.

A fly ash resource centre (FARC) was set up in the State Pollution Control Board to plan and implement strategies to enhance the utilisation and monitor the progress of utilisation of fly ash, among others.

Similarly, a high level committee, headed by the Chief Secretary to oversee the issues in this regard.

As many as 363 fly ash brick units are operational in the state. Panchanan Dash, secretary, MSME department, said that about 500 more proposals for setting up fly ash brick units are in the pipe line.