Page 68 - Apraava Energy Report_01-73

68 Energy in action

Fly Ash and Gypsum Management

Domestic coal has a high ash content, leading to higher management team that regularly analyses ash and gypsum
quantities of ash generation. Gypsum is produced as a utilisation throughout the year, promoting waste circularity.
by-product of the FGD process. Since JPL is a coal-fired Generation and utilisation of ash for the last three years is
power plant, ash and gypsum are regular by-products of the presented in Figure 21.
power generation process. We have a dedicated ash

Figure 21: Ash utilisation for the past three years

Year Unit Total ash generation Total ash utilisation % Utilisation

FY 2018-19 Tonnes 1,648,027 2,256,608 136.93%*
FY 2019-20 Tonnes 1,440,751 1,995,085 138.48%*
FY 2020-21 Tonnes 1,039,831 1,040,635 100.08%

* Higher percentages of utilisation in FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-20 were attributed to the use of ash stocks of earlier years from the ash dyke.

JPL has tied up with several cement manufacturers, traders and JPL has tied up with multiple cement companies to
ready-mix concrete plants for utilisation of dry fly ash and pond ensure regular offtake of gypsum. It has been able
ash generated at the plant. To ensure that bottom ash and/or to use nearly all the gypsum produced till date.
any dumped dry fly ash are evacuated promptly, JPL entered Gypsum produced during FY 2020-21 was 63,131
into an agreement with a cement manufacturer to supply pond tonnes, and 62,250 tonnes of it was used within the
ash at JPL's expense during FY 2020-21. It has also tied up with year. In case of gypsum, full utilisation is contingent
agencies engaged in the business of supplying pond ash to brick on the quality of the product. If the quality
manufacturers and other bottom ash-utilising agencies like road deteriorates or is not within parameters acceptable
construction companies. JPL's team remains in contact with state for industrial use, Apraava Energy takes all required
authorities, namely the Public Works Department (PWD) and the steps for its responsible disposal at the Company’s
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to explore potential own expense. While there were no stocks of gypsum
uses for bottom ash. at the end of the year, the difference between
generation and utilisation was on account of the
moisture content at the time of storage and that at
A key challenge faced by JPL during FY 2020-21, was to disposal.
ensure 100% utilisation of ash during the nationwide
lockdown in view of the COVID-19 pandemic with limited The main challenge in future years will be to find
avenues for utilisation. new avenues to utilise bottom ash which has limited
use, to ensure 100% disposal especially during
JPL was able to ensure 100% utilisation of ash, in close off-season, high variation in production of ash and
coordination with all its counterparts. While a large portion of gypsum due to seasonality & the resulting
the ash was disposed directly, some of the dry fly ash had to fluctuation in power demand with no evolving
be first stored in the ash dyke and subsequently evacuated by
various agencies as industries gradually resumed normal definitive market segments in the vicinity of the
operations. plant for its utilisation.