New Delhi, June 24 (IANS). The Coal Ministry on Wednesday organized a BRICS side event on Clean Coal Technologies, in which a special discussion was held on the role of coal gasification in promoting energy security, industrial development and clean use of coal.
In an official statement, the Coal Ministry said that the event was attended by senior government officials, representatives of public sector companies, technical experts from the industry and delegations from BRICS countries. Additionally, representatives from Russia, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also participated in the event.
The event became an important platform for sharing knowledge and experiences among BRICS countries and other stakeholders.
Sanjay Kumar Jha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, said that coal gasification can play an important role in strengthening India’s energy security and accelerating industrial growth.
He told that through this technology, coal is converted into syngas, which is used in the manufacture of ammonia, methanol, hydrogen, synthetic fuel, DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) and other value-added products.
Jha said coal gasification technology can help reduce India’s import dependence and better utilize domestic coal resources.
Noting the progress being made in various coal gasification projects, he stressed the importance of cooperation among BRICS countries to advance clean coal technologies.
He said that the Central Government is fully committed to achieving the target of gasification of 100 million tonnes of coal by the year 2030.
For this, the government is working through policy support, financial incentives, assured coal supply and coordinated efforts of various ministries.
BHEL gave a presentation on its coal gasification technology in the program.
Jindal Steel Limited (JSL) and Greta Energy shared information on their coal gasification projects and the utility of this technology for BRICS countries.
Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) presented on the progress of KASTA Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) Pilot Project.
Further, the Nominated Authority briefed about coal block allocation and policy initiatives for UCG projects.
Coal India Limited (CIL) presented details of coal supply arrangements and coal gasification projects operated by the company.
An interactive panel discussion was also organized during the event, in which various issues related to coal gasification were discussed.
Experts shared their views on the technology, project cost, geological challenges, processing issues, India’s use of high ash coal and the policy and financial support required for large-scale adoption of this technology.
–IANS
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