GSIAS BLOGS: NON RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES IN INDIA

A non-renewable resource is a natural resource that is used up faster than it can be made by nature. It cannot be produced, grown or generated on a scale which can sustain how quickly it is being consumed. Once it is used up, there is no more available for future needs. Also considered non-renewable are resources that are consumed much faster than nature can create them. Fossil fuels (such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas), types of nuclear power (uranium) and certain aquifers are examples. Resources such as timber (when harvested sustainably) or metals (which can berecycled) are considered renewable resources.

Total installed Power generation Capacity (end of March 2015)

Source	Utilities Capacity (MW)	%	Captive Power Capacity (MW)	%
Coal	164,635.88	61.51	27,588.00	58.60
Hydroelectricity	41,267.43	15.42	83.00	0.17
Renewable energy source	31,692.14	11.84	Included in Oil	-
Natural Gas	23,062.15	8.61	5,215.00	11.08
Nuclear	5,780.00	2.16	-	-
Oil	1,199.75	0.44	14,196.00	30.17
Total	267,637.35		47,082.00

The Scarcity of Non-Renewable Resources

Non-renewable resources are energy sources that we use and consume faster then nature produces them. Fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, take centuries to form naturally, and crude oil takes millions of years to form. These resources are not infinite and over time, most experts believe they will cease to exist. Here are some scary facts regarding non-renewable energy according to The Ecologist, based on current worldwide consumption rates :

· The natural gas supply will run out within the next 35 years.

· Within 70 years the world's current oil reserves will be gone-If the current rate of consumption continues for oil, the supply is predicted to run out within the next 14 years.

Not only is the scarcity of these resources a global problem, the resulting pollution of using fossil fuels is as well.

Coal
Coal occupies the leading position as a non-renewable resource of energy in India. The coal industry in India contributes immeasurably to the present profit-making and economic successes. Industries such as steel and carbo-chemicals to a large extent depend upon coal industry. The method of coal mining in India was started in the year 1814. Coal is mostly obtainable in the valleys of rivers Damodar River, Son River, Godavari River and Vardha River. Generally Anthrasite and Bituminous qualities of coals are found expansively in these areas.

Major coal belts lie in the states of Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. The lignite quality of coal is found inTamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir. Presently the Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singarene Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) control the coal industry in India.

Petroleum
The India Petroleum Industry has improved enormously after Indian independence towards its stride to accomplish a self-reliant market in the nation. During the Independence era of 1947, foreign companies controlled the Indian Petroleum Industry and India's own potential in this sector was inadequate.

Now, after sixty years, petroleum has become an imperative source of energy in India and also has become an important public sector undertaking with abundant capable officers and updated technology is being used that is comparable with some of the most advanced nations of the world. The consumption of petroleum has multiplied itself almost thirty times in the post-independence era.

Natural Gas Non renewable sources of energy in India have been used since the primitive times in the nation and the increase in population justifies the increase in use of these resources. However, the unimaginable usage of these resources has created an air of conservation requirements. These non-renewable resources of energy are now of a serious concern to the Indian government.

The role of oil and natural gas in India is very noteworthy as it is one of the biggest contributors to both the Central and State treasuries. Natural gas is at present one of the most preferred fuels due to its environmentally gentle nature, greater competence and cost effectiveness. The demand for natural gas has to a great extent increased in the last two decades at the global level. In India too, the natural gas sector has gained importance, particularly in the last decade, and natural gas is said to be the fuel of the 21st century.

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is usually considered another non-renewable energy source. Although nuclear energy itself is a renewable energy source, the material used in nuclear power plants is not.

Nuclear energy harvests the powerful energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom. Nuclear energy is released through nuclear fission, the process where the nucleus of an atom splits. Nuclear power plants are complex machines that can control nuclear fission to produce electricity.

The material most often used in nuclear power plants is the element uranium. Although uranium is found in rocks all over the world, nuclear power plants usually use a very rare type of uranium, U-235. Uranium is a non-renewable resource.

Nuclear energy is a popular way of generating electricity around the world. Nuclear power plants do not pollute the air or emit greenhouse gases. They can be built in rural orurban areas, and do not destroy the environment around them.

However, nuclear energy is difficult to harvest. Nuclear power plants are very complicated to build and run. Many communities do not have the scientists and engineers to develop a safe and reliable nuclear energy program.

Nuclear energy also produces radioactive material.Radioactive waste can be extremely toxic, causing burns and increasing the risk for cancers, blood diseases, and bone decay among people who are exposed to it.

It is expected to have 20 GW of nuclear capacity by 2020, though they currently stand as the 9th in the world in terms of nuclear capacity.

India has been using imported enriched uranium and are under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, but it has developed various aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle to support its reactors. Development of select technologies has been strongly affected by limited imports. Use of heavy water reactors has been particularly attractive for the nation because it allows Uranium to be burnt with little to no enrichment capabilities. India has also done a great amount of work in the development of a Thorium centred fuel cycle. While Uranium deposits in the nation are extremely limited, there are much greater reserves of Thorium and it could provide hundreds of times the energy with the same mass of fuel. The fact that Thorium can theoretically be utilised in heavy water reactors has tied the development of the two. A prototype reactor that would burn Uranium-Plutonium fuel while irradiating a Thorium blanket is under construction at the Madras/Kalpakkam Atomic Power Station.

Total Nuclear capacity in INDIA

Plant

Unit

Type

Capacity (MWe)

Date of Commercial Operation

Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS), Maharashtra

BWR

160

October 28, 1969

Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS), Maharashtra

BWR