The Food Corporation of India (FCI) will soon sale damaged food grains, both wheat and rice, those unfit for human consumption as manure, feed for animals and industrial purposes from its various depots in Chhattisgarh, official stated.
The damaged food grains not fit for human consumption is categorised as ‘ Feed-I, II & III, Industrial use and manure.The damaged food grains would be sold from depots in Raipur, Bilaspur and Durg districts.Meanwhile, the paddy husk remaining after milling of rice is also not being disposed and being used for power generation in Chhattisgarh. On the industrial front, Chhattisgarh currently has biomass projects generating a total of 249 MW of power as on March 31, 2015.
The total power generation from biomass projects by 12 other states during the aforesaid period in Megawatts is as follows- Andhra Pradesh ( 288), Gujarat ( 30.50), Haryana ( 13.50), Karnataka ( 107.50), Madhya Pradesh (26), Maharshtra ( 198), Odisha ( 20), Punjab ( 68.50), Rajasthan ( 101), Tamil Nadu ( 211.70), Uttar Pradesh ( 54) and West Bengal ( 26).
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) is promoting efficient utilization of biomass like Agro-industrial and agricultural residues including paddy straw for power generation in the country.
Fiscal incentives such as accelerated depreciation, concessional customs duty, excise duty exemption, 10 years income tax holiday and preferential tariff are provided for biomass power projects.
The MNRE provides Central Financial Assistance at the rate of Rs 25.00 lakh per Mega Watt in special category States and Rs.20 lakh per Mega Watt for other States with a cap of Rs. 1.50 crore per project.
The Minister further stated that some of the biomass projects have been facing problem of non-viable operations due to high price of biomass and low tariff of electricity in some States. 165 biomass projects with a total capacity of about 1400 Mega Watts have been set up in the country as on March 31, 2015.
Chhattisgarh produced 527.63 lakh cubic meters of bio-gas from family type bio-gas plants and large bio-gas plants in the entire State during the 11th Five Year Plan period.
The estimated State-wise production of bio-gas from family type bio-gas plants and large biogas plants installed in the country under different programmes of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) during the 11th Five Year Plan period is as follows (in lakh cubic metres)- Andhra Pradesh (9969.60), Assam(1616.33) Bihar (2325.94) Goa (71.83) Gujarat (8731.94) Haryana (1112.13) Himachal Pradesh (842.47) Jammu & Kashmir (47.44) Jharkhand (107.19) Karnataka (8213.62) Kerala (2399.30) Madhya Pradesh (5713.25) Maharashtra(15297.74) Manipur (38.80) Meghalaya (146.30) Mizoram (72.40) Nagaland (95.83) Odisha (4402.65) Punjab (2966.70) Rajasthan (1235.30) Sikkim (144.66) Tamil Nadu (5261.66) Tripura (53.25 )Uttar Pradesh(7765.80) Uttarakhand (531.37) West Bengal (6213.70).
About 6.10 lakh family type bio-gas plants were installed during the 11th Five Year Plan against a target of 6.47 lakh plants under the National Biogas and Manure Management Programme.
The marginal shortfall in achievement was reported to be due to increase in cost of construction of bio-gas plants.
As per an evaluation study carried out by an independent agency, about 95% of the surveyed bio-gas plants installed during the 11th Five Year Plan were found to be functional.
With a view to increase the pace of setting up of bio-gas plants, use of alternative materials such as ferro-cement, high density polyethylene, fiber reinforced plastics and poly-vinyl chloride for making biogas plants and / or its components has been developed and standard specifications brought out for their use.
As many as 3604 bio-gas plants have come up in the insurgency infested Kanker district in Bastar during the past 14 years, officials informed.
The plants have been established under the National Bio Gas and Manure Management Programme. The bio-gas plants not only work as fuel for cooking, the units also illuminate homes at night.
Meanwhile, as per 2013-14 Annual Report of the Union Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Chhattisgarh commissioned Biomass Power and Bagasse Co-Generation projects with a cumulative capacity of 264.90 MW .
The Biomass Power and Bagasse Co-Generation Programme aims at efficient utilization of biomass such as agro residue in the form of stalks, stems and straw; agro-industrial residues such as shells, husks, deoiled cakes and wood from dedicated energy plantations for power generation, it stated.
The potential for power generation from agricultural and agro-industrial residues in the country is estimated at about 17,000 MW, it stated.
With progressive higher steam temperature, pressure and efficient project configuration in new sugar mills and modernization of existing ones, the potential of surplus power generation through bagasse co-generation of sugar mills is estimated at 5,000 MW, the report stated.
The potential for bagasse co-generation lies mainly in the nine sugar producing states with a maximum potential of about 1,250 MW each in the states of Maharashatra and Uttar Pradesh. Thus the total estimated biomass power potential in the country is 22,000 MW, it stated.
The programme was launched with the objective of promoting, efficient and economic use of surplus biomass for power generation besides maximizing surplus power generation from sugar mills using improves technologies.
This apart, the programme had also been launched for promoting technologies of co-generation and biomass combustion for supplementing conventional power, it stated.
The biomass programme comprises the components of power generation in grid-connected mode and co-generation in sugar mills for export of surplus power to grid.
The Central Government, as per the report, has set a target of 1900 MW ( 1400 MW Bagasse Co-Generation besides 500 MW Biomass Power ) for the 12th five year plan against an allocation of Rs 310 crore.