19 coal mines allocated to thermal plants for fly ash disposal, says govt

The government on Tuesday said 19 coal mines have been allocated to 13 thermal power plants for disposal of fly ash.

The Ministry of Coal has undertaken a significant initiative to ensure proper disposal of fly ash by allocating mine voids.

A Central Level Working Group (CLWG) under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, was formed in 2023 for this purpose.

The interested Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) applies for the allocation of mine voids to the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), which is eventually discussed in the CLWG meeting.

"In this proactive move, a total of 19 mines have been allocated to 13 TPPs," the coal ministry said in a statement.

This allocation addresses environmental concerns associated with fly ash disposal and promotes sustainable practices within the coal mining sector.

"Fly ash" means and includes, all forms of ash, such as electrostatic precipitator ash, dry fly ash, bottom ash, pond ash and mound ash, that is generated. Its compositi