Haryana has achieved over 100 per cent fly-ash utilization to address the problem of pollution caused by it at coal based thermal power plants.

As per the report of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the state has achieved fly ash utilization level of more than 100 per cent while the performance of Haryana Power Generation Corporation limited (HPGCL) in fly utilization has been excellent during the year 2015-16.

The data of fly ash generation and utilization for the said period received from 71 Power Utilities across the country, the HPGCL has top the list by achieving the fly ash utilization level of 164.40 per cent.

According to the tally, HPGCL's three Thermal Power Stations with installation capacity 3167.80 megawatt (MW) having fly ash generation of 2.4470 million tonne has achieved over 160 per cent target, highest among the power utilities in the country.

Surinder Singh Mittal of HPGCL said that the Power utility has been praised by the CEA in its report for achieving over 100 percent utilization of fly ash.

Mittal said that at presently, three coal based thermal power plants are running in the state at Yamunanagar, Panipat and Hisar.

These thermal power plants are selling fly ash to various cement factories in the state including the Ultratech cement and Shree cement, Mittal added.

Mittla further said that the Indian coal is of low grade having high ash content of the order of 30-40 per cent generating large quantity of fly ash at coal or lignite based thermal power stations.

With the management of fly ash has been a matter of concern in view of requirement of large area of land for its disposal because of its potential of causing pollution of air and water, the Ministry of Environment & Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to address the above concerns, has issued various notifications on fly ash utilization prescribing therein the targets for fly ash utilization for coal power based thermal power stations with an aim to achieve 100 per cent utilization in a phased manner.

The CEA has been monitoring since 1996 the status of fly ash generation and its utilization in the country.

During the year 2014-15, thermal power stations in Haryana had managed to achieve merely 65 per cent of fly ash management, one of the lowest in the country.