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Power Ministry Revises Biomass Co-Firing Policy to Enable Purchase of Pellets by Power Plants

The benchmarked price, as finalised by the committee under CEA, will be effective from January 1, 2024. Price benchmarking of pellets will enable the TPPs as well as pellet vendors to establish a sustainable supply mechanism for co-firing of pellets.

June 28, 2023. By Anurima Mondal

Ministry of Power has decided to benchmark the prices of biomass pellets used for co-firing in Thermal Power Plants (TPPs). The decision comes in view of evolving market conditions for biomass pellets and requests received from stakeholders including thermal power plants, pellet manufactures, farmers, bankers, etc.

The benchmarked price shall take into account the business viability, impact on electricity tariff and efficient and faster pellet procurement by power utilities. Price benchmarking of pellets will enable the TPPs as well as pellet vendors to establish a sustainable supply mechanism for co-firing of pellets. The benchmarked price, as finalised by the committee under CEA, will be effective from January 1, 2024.

Till the time the recommendations of the committee are implemented, the power utilities shall go for short term tenders for meeting the immediate requirement of biomass pellets for their TPPs.

Power Minister R.K. Singh said that co-firing of biomass in coal based power plants is a key policy of the government towards energy security, reduced use of fossil fuels and at the same time to increase income of farmers. Revised policy shall help in achieving these goals faster.

Explaining the decision, Power Secretary Alok Kumar added that the decision would encourage farmers, entrepreneurs as well as thermal power utilities to strive to establish a sustainable biomass ecosystem, achieve the targets for co-firing, reduce stubble burning and help to ensure a cleaner and greener future for the citizens of India.

In another modification of the policy, it has been directed that since availability of torrefied biomass pellets is presently limited in the country, their use should be limited to the utilities for which torrefied biomass pellets are technically unavoidable.

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Biomass

Power ministry

Biomass Co-Firing Policy

Energy security

Sustainable biomass ecosystem

biomass pellets