Officials from the India Ministry of Coal and the US Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy recently held meetings as part of the US–India Energy Dialogue.
Fossil Energy deputy assistant secretary Mark Maddox said the meeting was another step towards worldwide clean coal technology adoption. “It is this type of dialogue that will help bring clean, coal-based technologies to a country seeking to improve power plant efficiency and curb pollution.”
India expects a coal shortage of about 87 million tonnes by 2012 and is studying the recently enacted US National Energy Policy Act of 2005 as a model for one of the world’s fastest growing nations.
Of particular interest to India are coal preparation technologies to achieve optimal levels of ash reduction and efficient use of rejects, coal gasification and liquefaction, coal bed methane, and coal mine closure and safety issues.
The FutureGen project and carbon sequestration technology are also being reviewed by the Indian delegation.
India and the US are both members of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, an international climate change initiative that is focused on the development of cost-effective technologies for the separation and capture of carbon dioxide for its transport and long-term safe storage.