Clean coal tech gets leg-up from oil cos

Working on clean coal technologies India’s move to adopt clean coal technologies is making steady progress through a collaborative effort, with Coal India Ltd (CIL) getting much-needed support from its counterparts in the oil sector — GAIL (India) Ltd and ONGC.

CIL and GAIL are collaborating to develop a surface coal gasification project at Talcher coalfield in Orissa for production of ammonium nitrate and urea.

“The techno-economic feasibility report has already been prepared. About 5.5 mtpa of coal from Mahanadi Coalfields will be required for this project and a long-term linkage of 5.5 mtpa is required from the Coal Ministry,” a CIL official told Business Line.

Last year, GAIL and CIL entered into an agreement to set up the surface coal gasification project for the production of synthesis gas to be used as feedstock for fertiliser production.

GAIL had organised a study by Udhe India for examining the potential of the project. It was estimated that the project will consume 5,000 tonnes of coal a day to produce 7.76 mscmd of synthesis gas (equivalent to 3,000 tonnes a day of ammonia) to produce 3,500 tonnes of urea a day.

CIL is also working with ONGC for underground coal gasification projects.

The two are working on the development, operation and R&D activities. “We are working on projects short-listed from 15 sites all over India to prove the potential of the process,” an official said.

The technical expert for the venture is the Skochinsky Institute of Mining of Russia.

Underground coal gasification is an alternative and supplementary energy source, which allows converting un-mineable coal and lignite — which forms over 80 per cent of India’s 300-billion-tonne reserves — into combustible gases by gasifying the coal in-situ.

According to ONGC, environmental clearance for the first underground coal gasification pilot site at Vastan, Gujarat, has been obtained and its design has been firmed up. The pilot project is expected to commence production next year.