The Centre is planning to do away with the mandatory requirement of washing of coal before it is transported to thermal power stations. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in a discussion note, suggested that coal washing should be done away with, as it does not bring down the ash content in coal.
In 2014, as part of its climate change commitments, the government had made coal washing mandatory for supply to all thermal units beyond 500 kms from the coal mine. This was done in line with India’s stand in climate change negotiations – not to reduce coal consumption and rather focus on emission control.
