TSPL sets up biomass plant for clean fuel supply at Punjab thermal station

Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL), a Vedanta Power company, has set up a torrefied biomass manufacturing facility near its 1,980 MW thermal plant in Mansa, Punjab.

The plant can process 500 tonnes of agricultural stubble each day. It uses a thermochemical process to convert stubble into torrefied bio-pellets. These pellets have a higher energy density than raw biomass, making them more suitable for TSPL’s supercritical thermal power operations that require high-grade biofuels.

TSPL has procured over 800,000 tonnes of agricultural stubble during the paddy season. This is expected to produce around 640,000 tonnes of torrefied bio-pellets at the new plant. In addition, TSPL co-fires 450 tonnes of torrefied biomass daily, sourced from open markets.

The company expects to cut its daily coal usage by five per cent by integrating torrefied biomass into its fuel mix. These measures are estimated to reduce about 2.6 million tonnes of carbon emissions.

This biomass facility is part of Vedanta’s larger decarbonisation strategy, which targets net zero emissions by 2050.