Barriers to adopting least-cost particulate control strategies for Indian power plants

Future energy growth in India, fueled in large part by coal, is expected to further aggravate the existing problems of particulate air pollution. This paper evaluates strategies for reducing particulate emissions from new and existing coal-fired power plants in India to comply with current and antic ipated future emissions standards. The objectives are to identify methods t hat minimize total power generation costs, and to identify economic and pol itical barriers to adopting these solutions. The technologies considered in clude conventional electrostatic precipitators, fabric filter collectors, f lue gas conditioning, coal cleaning and switching to imported coal. The res ults suggest that the most significant savings in particulate control costs are realized through a 'systems' approach involving pre-combustion and pos t-combustion emission control methods. Nationwide savings in generation cos ts through improved control are estimated at approximately $0.4-0.7 billion per annum in the year 2002 (in constant 1996 dollars). Least-cost strategi es are not currently being used because of capital cost subsidies, lack of domestic technology demonstration and evaluation programs, an emphasis on p ollution control versus pollution prevention, and an imperfect domestic ste am coal market. Policy measures are proposed to overcome these barriers. (C ) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.