Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R.K Singh, launched a Web based monitoring System and a Fly Ash mobile application named ASH TRACK here today. These platforms will enable better management of the ash produced by thermal power plants by providing an interface between fly ash producers (Thermal Power Plants) and potential ash users such as – road contractors, cement plants etc.Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R K Singh said that proper management of fly ash is important for not only the environment but for us also as the ash produced by the power plants occupies a lot of land space. He explained that at present, 63 per cent of the fly ash is being utilised and target is for 100 per cent utilisation of the fly ash. For this the Minister emphasized the need for education and awareness generation. He said that road contractors and construction engineers need to know the benefits of using fly ash in construction. The Minister asked the officials to work out the per kilometer construction costs of roads using fly ash, and said if it is found to be expensive, then measures need to be taken to reduce the cost by way of tax structure, subsidies and transportation services. Similarly, Shri Singh stressed upon the need to come out with a policy to encourage fly ash use in cement plant.
Analysing the data, Shri Singh said that in spite of increasing use of renewable energy, coal will remain the mainstay of Power sector in India. In fact the consumption of coal is going to increase as our economy grows.Speaking on the occasion, Secretary for Power Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that quality-wise Indian coal has much more ash content than other countries. Hence, he stressed upon the need for diverse approaches for the fly ash management. He suggested that there is a need to prevent the ash from coming to the power plant by washing the coal at its place of origin. Further, the Power Secretary talked about promoting R&D for increasing efficiency of power plants and reducing the ash generation. He said that our mantra should be ‘The least ash generated and maximum ash utilized.’ He also thanked Niti Aayog for providing full support to this project.