Fast track (green channel) for power projects

The policy makers and bureaucrats of Government of India have agreed to have “Green Channel” for big power projects. The time taken for conception of a project, submission to the government and clearance by the various agencies take unusually long time. Typically, the gestation period for a power project may take more than decade! For a nation on the growth run, this long delay is causing hurdles which are difficult to jump over. Typically, the time taken for an environmental clearance is 16-18 months. The government recognizes that the delay is due many factors, some are technical and some are societal. It is intended that the delay should be brought down to 8-9 months.

Government in its anxiety to provide the infrastructure for industrial growth should not compromise on the assessment of long term impact of the thermal power plants on the environment. The behaviour of the eco-system in dealing with the discharges from the power plants needs to be carefully assessed before giving the clearance. Take a case of fusil-fuel based power plant. The discharges include: greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, the fly-ash, residual heat, some amount of radioactivity in the ash, etc, etc. This is in addition to the environmental pollution caused during transport and handling of the coal. The management of thousands of tons of the ash generated from the burning of coal is to be looked into before the clearance for the plant. The carbon credits from the developed countries can be utilized to provide efficient and clean technology for the management of environmental releases from the up-coming projects. The pollutants mainly cause respiratory diseases in humans.

Since, clean environment is an emotional issue, more and more emphasis should be given for non-conventional energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear, where the environmental releases, particularly of greenhouse gases and particulates are minimum.