Only 55% of the Fly-Ash is Utilized for Bricks and Cement in India

Ideally, the entire fly ash should be used, but CEA considers 75%-100% utilization as satisfactory. However, Mahagenco's utilization figure is 63%. The national average is 55.6%. The biggest power producer NTPC has a very poor record of 43% utilization. Read more @ Times of India

Mahagenco has been frequently hauled up by environmentalists for not taking measures to control air pollution. The company has always defended its conduct by saying that poor quality coal makes it difficult to do that. Now, a Central Electricity Authority (CEA) audit has revealed that even fly ash utilization by Mahagenco is far below the minimum expected level.

While many generation companies fare even worse, there are some utilities, mostly private, that use the entire fly ash. CEA has compiled data for 66 companies for the first half of 2013-14. Sixteen power utilities have used the entire fly ash generated by them. Twenty-one have used up 75% to 100% while the remaining 29 are below 75% usage. Mahagenco falls in the third category. During this period, Tamil Nadu has achieved fly ash utilization level of more than 98% while Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal achieved fly ash utilization level of more than 70%.

The average fly ash utilization of Mahagenco reached 63% in the first quarter of 2013-14 because Koradi and Parli used the fly ash generated in earlier period. The figure for Koradi was 168% and Parli 127%. Other than these two plants, Nashik had the best figures with 70% followed by Khaparkheda at 67%. The poor performers are Chandrapur (43.5%), Bhusawal (44%) and Paras (29%). The performance of some private power plants in Maharashtra, commissioned four to five years ago, is quite satisfactory. Wardha Power's Warora plant used all the fly ash it generated, JSW Jaigad (96%), Trombay (94%), GMR Warora (98.5%) and Dahanu (91%). The plants that had started a few months ago had poor record of ash utilization during first half of 2013-14. These include Mihan, Mouda, Butibori and Tiroda.

Mahagenco's poor pollution control mechanism has led to discharge of fly ash slurry from Koradi and Khaparkheda plants into Kanhan and Kolar rivers, creating a health hazard for citizens of Nagpur. TOI had highlighted this in a series of articles in January 2013, forcing Mahagenco to take some remedial measures.