The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 31st December 2021 has notified the norms for fly ash utilisation by coal fired power plants. The ash generated from coal or lignite based thermal power plants shall be utilised only for the following eco-friendly purposes, namely: (i) Fly ash based products viz. bricks, blocks, tiles, fibre cement sheets, pipes, boards, panels; (ii) Cement manufacturing, ready mix concrete; (iii) Construction of road and fly over embankment, Ash and Geo-polymer based construction material; (iv) Construction of dam; (v) Filling up of low lying area; (vi) Filling of mine voids; (vii) Manufacturing of sintered or cold bonded ash aggregate; (viii) Agriculture in a controlled manner based on soil testing; (ix) Construction of shoreline protection structures in coastal districts; (x) Export of ash to other countries; (xi) Any other eco-friendly purpose as notified from time to time.
Every coal or lignite based thermal power plant shall ensure that loading, unloading, transport, storage and disposal of ash is done in an environmentally sound manner and that all precautions to prevent air and water pollution are taken and status in this regard shall be reported to the concerned State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) or Pollution Control Committee (PCC)
All agencies (Government, Semi-government and Private) engaged in construction activities such as road laying, road and flyover embankments, shoreline protection structures in coastal districts and dams within 300 kms from the lignite or coal based thermal power plants shall mandatorily utilise ash in these activities:
Provided that it is delivered at the project site free of cost and transportation cost is borne by such coal or lignite based thermal power plants.
It shall be obligatory on all mines located within 300 kilometres radius of thermal power plant, to undertake backfilling of ash in mine voids or mixing of ash with external Overburden dumps, under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Further all mine owners shall get mine closure plans (progressive and final) to accommodate ash in the mine voids and the concerned authority shall approve mine plans for disposal of ash in mine voids and mixing of ash with overburden dumps.
