Feasibility of IGCC Technology for Power Generation in India

Abstract

The paper evaluates the emerging coal gasification technology now operational in many parts of the world to produce electric power through Combined Cycle mode in the present coal dominated power scenario in India. The initiatives of United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-New Delhi, India together with an Indian utility National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and supported by a consortium of experienced international agencies for feasibility study of commercial application of coal based IGCC technology for producing 100MWe in India are enumerated. India with a population of one billion, a fifth of the world’s population ranks sixth in the world in terms of energy demand. It has only about 0.4 percent of world’s natural gas which contributes only 10 percent to power generation as against 65% by coal in the present total installed capacity of 107000 MW. The estimated coal reserves in India of 211 billion tonnes are likely to last for about 150 years as against oil and gas reserves that will get depleted in less than 50 years. Notwithstanding the ongoing debate in India between LNG versus coal for emergence of a mature and economic future fuel for power generation in India, over 60% of the 100,000 MW power demand required in the next 10 years in India is expected to be provided on coal, USAID-New Delhi has commissioned under its expanded Green House Gas (GHG) Pollution Prevention Project, a feasibility study of the IGCC Power plant in India. Therefore, application of the coal gasification combined cycle process, an emerging technology for clean, efficient and low CO2 emission coal fuelled generation thro GE’s advanced H-system turbine and providing high operating efficiency of 43% would be appropriate to serve as a base technology for greenfield projects and as a repowering option for vintage coal fired plants totaling 25000 MW now operating over 30 years.