Indian state-owned utility to cofire coal with biomass pellets at 21 thermal power plants this year

In India, the Press Trust of India reports that in an effort to reduce carbon emissions from power production, the state-owned utility NTPC will buy 6 million metric tons of pellets produced from agricultural waste to co-fire with coal. Currently it is cofiring pellets at one of its facilities but in 2020 will expand cofiring across 21 of its thermal power plants. The country has been choking on smoke resulting from farmers burning crop stubble so the increased demand for pellets from agro waste is hoped to convince farmers to sell waste rather than burn it.