Punjab: Shortage of pellet manufacturers hits fight against crop burning

PATIALA: The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has got only 1% supply of biomass pellets for blending purposes against the demand it had placed weeks before the start of stubble burning season in Punjab this year.
The move to blend biomass pellets with coal as fuel in thermal power plants was aimed at reducing burning of paddy crop residue in the agricultural fields across the state.
The thermal power plants in Punjab had also floated tenders to purchase biomass pellets or briquettes. The PSPCL, that placed the purchase orders for 60,000 MT of pellets for its thermal power plants at Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Power Plant, Ropar, and Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant, Lehra Mohabbat, had so far got only 60 MT of biomass pellets.
Director (generation), PSPCL, Paramjeet Singh said, "We placed orders for 60,000 MT of biomass pellets, but so far got supply of only 60 MT pellets that has been used for blending purposes in our plants." "The manufacturer, who is supposed to supply the pellets, has got its plant upgraded following which there has been a delay in supply.
But the manufacturer has promised to supply the remaining quantity of purchase orders in the month of November. There is a shortage of pellet manufacturers and this has become a major concern in the state. We had already floated more tenders for purchase of pellets and these will be opened this week," he informed.
A senior PSPCL official, on anonymity, said, "The pellets or briquettes are used in more than double the quantity of coal. The coal used in power plants is of better quality than used in the furnaces or boilers in other industries and as power plants get coal in bulk, the prices are cheaper than being purchased by other industries in Punjab. The use of paddy straw pellets or briquettes is a costlier project but we would have to abide by the directions and also chip in our contribution in curbing the stubble-burning menace."
Besides government-run thermal plants in Punjab, two private plants in the state have also placed the purchase orders. Under ex-situ management, a total of 0.92 metric tons of paddy residue was managed in 2020-21, 1.29 metric tons in 2021-22 and 2.10 metric tons is expected to be managed in the current year.
PPCB member secretary Karunesh Garg said, "There are very few manufacturers of biomass pellets and especially paddy crop residue pellets as we are focusing on stubble management. The central government has recently launched a scheme for ex-situ management of paddy straw through palletisation and torrefaction plants would further improve the utilisation of paddy straw. A workshop in this regard was also held in Chandigarh where around 100 industrialists interested in manufacturing of pellets had participated."
Notably, in September last year, the Union ministry of power had issued directions on a policy for biomass utilisation for power generation through co-firing in coal-based power plants. The central government had made it mandatory to use 5% of biomass pellets, primarily of agro residue (torrefied/non-torrefied), along with coal within one year from date of policy (August 8, 2021).
The coal-based thermal power plants were directed to initiate immediate steps to co-fire biomass pellets, torrefied pellets or briquettes (with focus on paddy straw) with coal up to 5 to 10% in power plants through a continuous and uninterrupted supply chain. The thermal plants were also directed to take all necessary steps to ensure the co-firing of biomass pellets in thermal power plants.