The Third Pole | By: Katherine Purvis, July 19, 2017:
The Indian government’s policy of using treated sewage water to run operations in coal-fired power plants is not economically viable and will do little to resolve conflicts over water use.
An ambitious plan to reduce the dependence of India’s coal-fired power plants on freshwater has stalled in its starting blocks. The policy for some plants to use treated sewage water, introduced last year, is impractical and economically non-viable, according to a recent report by Greenpeace India.
A severe drought in 2016 forced several coal plants to shut down, causing the loss of nearly 11 billion units (kWH) of power — and an estimated potential revenue of USD 560 million — between January and July 2016. The energy ministry, through a Government of India notification in January 2016, made it mandatory for all thermal power within 50 kilometres of a sewage treatment plant to use treated wastewater in their operations.
Only 8% of all coal plants in India are able to completely meet their water needs in this way, according to the Greenpeace report, “Pipe Dreams”. Some 5% of plants can partially satisfy their water needs through treated sewage, but a staggering 87% of India’s 200 gigawatt coal power plants cannot follow the policy because they have no access to treated sewage water. The report also states that less than 11% of India’s total treated sewage water can be used by thermal power plants.
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To read Greenpeace Report – “Pipe Dreams” – please click here.
