India mandates use of biomass pellets in some coal-fired plants
CHENNAI (Reuters) -India has made the use of biomass pellets mandatory in some coal-fired thermal power plants in a bid to cut air pollution by using agricultural waste that is otherwise burnt by farmers to generate electricity.
The decision, announced by the power ministry on Friday, makes it mandatory for three categories of thermal power plants to use a 5% blend of biomass pellets along with coal.
Farmers in some northern Indian states burn off vast swathes of paddy stalks and straw during the winter season to prepare the ground for planting. The process causes severe spikes in air pollution from late September which often lead to a thick blanket of smog over northern India.
