Punjab Pollution Control Board to promote use of paddy straw pellets in thermal plants
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ December 13,2024
To deal with the problem of stubble accumulated in the fields during the paddy season, Punjab Pollution Prevention Board conducted a facilitation workshop on stubble management and its widespread commercial application at PPCB office, Patiala. The meeting was attended by representatives of thermal power plants and owners/representatives of straw pelletization units. During the meeting Prof. (Dr.) Adarsh Pal Vig, Chairman informed besides using straw as a substitute for organic fertilizers in the fields, detailed information was given about the schemes of the government to promote its industrial and commercial use. Worthy Chairman of the Board, encouraged the industrialists to establish more pelletization units and also to take advantage of the schemes run by the government and also assured that the Board will provide all possible support. Further, it was informed that Central Government has reserved corpus funds amounting to Rs.50 Crores for setting up of pelletization plant as per which one time financial support of Rs.28 Lacs will be provided for installation of 1 TPH pelletization plant. He appealed that the districts in which such units have not been established, shall be established.
In this program, the Member Secretary of the Board Er. GS Majithia, (Dr.) Krunesh Garg, Chief Environmental Engineer (Air) and Regional Officers participated.
In the meeting, Dr. Krunesh Garg Chief Environmental Engineer said in his address, that industrialists of Punjab should increase consumption of straw as fuel in their industries. He said that 18 straw pelletization units are functioning in Punjab and 19 pelletization units are under construction and also informed that 1.33 lakh metric tons of straw has been used in these units of Punjab to manufacture straw pellets for use as fuel for thermal power plants and other industrial units, which is a big achievement in the field of straw management. With the probability of increase in production of paddy stubble in the near future, he urged the industries to increase the consumption of paddy stubble. Referring to the instructions of the government in this regard, he added that it is mandatory to use 3% of paddy stubble in place of coal in thermal power plants and other industries.
Member Secretary of the Board, Er. GS Majithia, while giving information about government financial schemes for setting up palletization units, said that these units have been given a subsidy of about 12 crore rupees by the central government. Apart from this, he said that a cell has been constituted by the board to promote commercial use of paddy stubble in the industry. In order to establish a paddy straw related industry anyone can get complete information including financial incentives from the Board’s website or the relevant cell of the board.
Punjab Pollution Control Board to promote use of paddy straw pellets in thermal plants . During the meeting, representatives from pelletization units / thermal power plants M/s Talwandi Sabo Power Plant Limited, Mansa, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, Amritsar, M/s Nabha Power Limited Rajpura, M/s Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant, Bathinda, M/s Guru Gobind Singh Thermal Plant, Ropar especially participated.
