New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy RK Singh will on Friday inaugurate a conference on co-firing of biomass pellets in thermal power plants in India, according to an official statement.

The 'National Conference on Biomass- 3P - Pellet to Power to Prosperity' is being hosted by the National Mission on the use of Biomass in Coal Based Thermal Power Plants (SAMARTH) in association with the National Power Training Institute, the Power Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

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The conference will also see participation from government officials, regulatory bodies, financial institutions, pellet manufacturers, entrepreneurs, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), farmer organisations etc, it added.

"The objective of the conference is to foster an enabling environment to boost co-firing of biomass pellets in thermal power plants in India as well as to provide a common platform for all the stakeholders in the field to share their knowledge and experience. Use of biomass pellets will lead to less stubble burning, cleaner environment, earnings for farmers and reduction in coal imports," the ministry said.

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The Power Ministry had formed SAMARTH as a one-shot solution to multiple problems being faced in the disposal of surplus biomass.

While conversion of biomass into pellets and co-firing them in thermal plants will save the environment from the harmful effects of stubble burning, it will also contribute to the reduction of the country's dependence on coal in electricity generation.

In a reply to the Lok Sabha last week, Singh informed about experiments carried out by NTPC-NETRA in NTPC Dadri coal-based thermal power plant to ascertain the impact of co-firing biomass on the Thermal Power Plants (TPPs).

"Through the studies, it has been well established that 5 per cent to 10 per cent of biomass can be safely co-fired with coal in TPPs without any adverse impact on the power plant. This will help in reducing the reliance of TPPs on coal and mitigates air pollution caused due to stubble burning, to some extent," it said.

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