Govt to do away with green clearance for pilot projects for underground coal gasification

New Delhi, Oct 29 (PTI) The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has agreed to remove green clearance for pilot projects for underground coal gasification, the government said on Wednesday.

This development is important as the government aims to gasify 100 million tons of coal by 2030.

“It means conducting a pilot study before the underground coal gasification (UCG) project is implemented. A pilot study is required because it is a new technology or will be done for the first time in the country.

“This is part of the framework and for this pilot phase, MoEFCC has agreed not to have an AT (environmental clearance) just for the pilot phase,” Coal Minister Vikram Dev Dutt told reporters during the launch of the 14th round of commercial coal mining tenders. he said.

He also said that 21 of the 41 coal blocks offered for sale were suitable for UCG because they were generally located deep and were uneconomic to extract.

UCG gasifies deep, undigable coal seams in situ using oxidants such as air, oxygen or steam. Hydrogen from UCG can power clean fuel and hydrogen economy initiatives, while syngas and value-added products can be produced through the partial oxidation of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

The secretary also said that the coal ministry is making rapid progress on coal trading exchange.

The ministry also launched two digital platforms, namely CLAMP and Koyla Shakti portals, during the event.

The Coal Land Acquisition, Management and Payment Portal is a unified digital platform developed to streamline and digitize processes related to land acquisition, compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement in the coal sector.

Koyla Shakti Dashboard is a digital platform designed to revolutionize the coal industry through improved transparency, efficiency and real-time coordination.