India’s First Lignite Fired 500 MW Power Plant

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State-run BHEL said it has commissioned the first lignite-based 500 MW thermal unit of Neyveli New Thermal Power Project in Tamil Nadu.

INDIAN COAL RESERVES:

It is originated from organic matter wood.
When large tracts of forests are buried under sediments, wood is burnt and decomposed due to heat from below and pressure from above.
The phenomenon makes coal but takes centuries to complete.

Anthracite is the best quality of coal which carries 80 to 95 % carbon content.
It ignites slowly with a blue flame. It has the highest calorific value. It is found in small quantity in Jammu and Kashmir.
China accounts for the majority of global production; other producers are Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, South Africa, Vietnam, the UK, Australia, Canada and the US.

Bituminous carries 60 to 80 per cent of carbon content and a low level of moisture content. It is widely used and has high calorific value.
It is found in Jharkhand,West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Lignite is often brown in colour. It carries 40 to 55 per cent carbon content. It is an intermediate stage which happens during the alteration of woody matter into coal.
It has high moisture content so it gives smoke when burnt. It is found in Rajasthan, Lakhimpur (Assam), and Tamil Nadu.

Peat has less than 40 per cent carbon content. It is in the first stage of transformation from wood to coal.
It has low calorific value and burns like wood.

In view of rapidly increasing demand for energy, non availability of coal deposits for exploitation in the above states, problems faced in the transportation of coal from far off coal fields and high transportation cost involved in transporting coal over a long distance, it is considered necessary that the lignite deposits available in these states are exploited for power generation which would be the best economic and viable option.
It can be the major alternative and important source of energy in the country not only for thermal power generation but also in meeting the demand from other industries such as cement, textiles, chemical etc.