*Pragmatic approach needed in developing clean coal value chain
*Coal gasification integral to India’s climate policy
*Best practices in mining needed to achieve higher efficiencies
Despite the decarbonisation wave sweeping the globe, the world will need coal for many more years to come as no alternative currently exists, Michelle Manook, CEO of World Coal Association (WCA) told SteelMint during a recent interview. Despite the growing contribution of renewables, it is unrealistic to imagine that non-fossil fuel energy can replace coal at this juncture in meeting the growing energy needs of the global economy, as the infrastructure for renewable energy is itself based on coal, she said.
Most importantly, the Paris Climate Accord has accepted the role of all fuels and technologies in achieving the energy transition and coal is the easiest and the most affordable route to energy security, she stated.
India and China are ramping up coal capacity and the growing ASEAN nations are relying more than ever on coal-fired power to meet their economic needs. Amid war in Europe and the steep surge in energy prices, a German think-thank has come out with a report demonstrating that many more investments are actually being made in developing coal capacity around the world than a few banks and financial institutions backing out from financing coal projects, Manook said.
”Clean coal is part of the solution and often arguments against coal don’t address the real challenges and rights of developing markets to grow. I feel the rights of developing economies need to be guaranteed, as both protecting the environment and ensuring economic development are necessary,” she stated.
Focus on India
India must embrace a pragmatic approach to developing a clean coal value chain that addresses emissions-related challenges while fuelling economic growth. Clean coal technologies can reduce emissions from coal by 99%, she said.
According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Coal Report 2021, India’s coal demand rebounded in 2021 to 1.05 billion tonnes (bnt), higher than the pre-pandemic level of 931 mnt in 2020. India’s coal consumption will increase at an average annual rate of 3.9% to 1.18 bnt in 2024, on the back of a GDP growth rate of 7.4% between 2022 and 2024, as per IEA estimates.
Combustion technologies
Pulverised coal combustion systems using supercritical, ultra-supercritical and advanced ultra-supercritical technology operate at higher steam temperatures and pressures than conventional plants, meaning they have higher efficiency levels and lower CO2 emissions.
“There is focus on combustion. But there should be more focus on post-combustion and what are the high-value products that coal can produce. Coal + biomass is of great interest in India. In the USA, there is an initiative that they are looking at coal + biomass+ carbon capture and storage, which gets you to a net-zero position. Everyone is looking at different ways of making their combustion more efficient and less energy-intensive,” Manook said.
Countries are also looking beyond this. They are looking at coal to hydrogen, coal to chemicals. These are the industries of the future, she contended.
Syngas & challenges
Coal gasification is of great interest in the Indian context due to the abundant availability of resources. WCA recommends integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) systems to produce syngas, which is cleaned of impurities and then burnt in a turbine to generate electricity and to produce steam for a steam power cycle. Gasification can achieve high thermal efficiencies of up to 48% and plants based on gasification can use less coal and produce lower emissions as improvements in efficiency reduce CO2 emissions.
However, the Indian government needs to address the challenge of tackling emissions generated as a result of gasification of high-ash domestic coal, she added.
CCUS
Carbon capture use and storage (CCUS) technologies prevent large quantities of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. CCUS is the only technology capable of significantly reducing emissions from power generation and key industrial processes including steel, cement and chemicals manufacturing.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has shown it would be 138% more expensive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050-60 without CCUS. Fossil fuel power generation fitted with CCUS is a key part of the transition to a net-zero future, Manook said.
Underground mining
Although India produces about 750 mnt of coal annually, only about 6% of it is through underground mining. Large-scale open pit mining has not seen general improvements in coal grades over the decades. Coal India Ltd. (CIL) has high-quality underground reserves in the eastern part of the country. Many valued reserves remain undeveloped due to lack of indigenous technology and equipment needed to ensure mine safety.
As underground mining in India makes headway, grades and coal quality will expectedly improve, which will increase thermal efficiencies and thereby reduce emissions, Manook observed. The Director General of Mine Safety has catalogued the best practices in this regard, sometimes adopting the best practices followed in advanced mining geographies such as Australia.
The development of underground mining will not just enhance coal quality but also increase domestic production needed to satisfy the country’s ever-growing needs.
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