A Toshiba official said that NTPC Ltd is in talks with Toshiba Corp to build a pilot project in India to capture and store carbon emissions.
Mr Kenji Urai MD of Toshiba India Private Ltd said that it aims to develop its first 5 MW carbon capture plant in India by 2016.
The project may be similar to the one set to start this year at a 47-Mw plant at Mikawa in Japan.
Mr Urai said that “Now that we are almost finished in Japan, we’d like to bring that technology to other parts of the world, like India. I think in five years we should have it.”
India plans to add about 64,000 MW or the equivalent of more than 50 new nuclear plants, in coal fired electric plants in the five years through 2017. The country is seeking ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, after agreeing to reduce the greenhouse gas in proportion to gross domestic product by 25%compared to levels in 2005, by 2020.
NTPC is leading a group of power utilities trying to curb blackouts in the country and increase electricity supplies, which the government estimates are about 10% less than demand. NTPC officials declined to comment.
Carbon capture-and-storage technology typically traps emissions and pumps these underground, for what its promoters say is safe, permanent storage. So far, it has mostly been used in pilot projects and for storing only a portion of total plant emissions. Critics say the cost is too high for its benefits. Shyam Saran at a seminar in April said that “It’s certainly not economically feasible because if we fit CCS equipment to a coal-based plant, it would double the investment.”
Toshiba, Japan’s largest supplier of nuclear reactors, entered the Indian power market through a joint venture with Indian power utility JSW Energy Ltd. Toshiba plans to sell USD 400 million of power-generation equipment in India by 2015. Through two joint ventures, Toshiba and JSW will open a plant in Chennai in July, to produce 3,000 Mw of boilers and turbines a year.
The joint venture is expecting orders from NTPC for four 660 MW turbines this year and has already received orders for two 660 MW turbines and generators from the Essar Group for its coal-fired Salaya plant in Gujarat.
(Sourced from Bloomberg)
