THERMAL POWER

THERMAL POWER Power produced by burning fuels such as coal, petroleum, or natural gas in thermal genera­tors or specially designed furnaces is thermal electricity. Thermal plants depend on a supply of solid or liquid fuels, so they are better situated near coalfields, oil or natural gas fields, or at importing ports where oil is refined. The generation of electricity releases much heat, so a great deal of water is required for cooling purposes. Thus, nearness to a large river, lake, estuary or a coastal site is useful. Also advantageous is a location near the main markets of electricity (such as industrial centres, towns with a large domestic power demand).

World Distribution of Thermal Power The highest number of thermal plants are situated in the densely populated and heavily industrialised areas of western Europe and north-eastern North America. The USA leads as producer and consumer.

Thermal Power in India India's thermal power pro­duction is much lower than its demand. In the early stages of power development in India, the thermal power stations consisted of several small and widely scattered units with very little network connection. The first step in develop­ment of thermal power on a large scale in the country was the setting up of a 4 x 60 MW power station at Bokaro (Jharkhand) under DVC programme. This power station has been the forerunner of a chain of large thermal power stations that have subsequently been developed.

Today, ~ndia has several thermal power projects spread across the country. (See the table on major power projects in India.)

problems of Indian Thermal Power Stations The thermal power stations often face some serious problems such as poor and erratic supply of coal, frequent break­down of power systems, assumption of unreasonable gestation periods and power management. The coals sup­plied for thermal power stations often contain high ash content. Again the short supply of coal to thermal station has been primarily due to non-availability of wagons in time and the long turn-round time involved. Lastly, the supply of sub-standard equipment and lack of after-sales service have also made matters worse.