Dec 26 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Saibal Dasgupta The Times of India

Two straw-burning electricity generating plants have been set up in east China's Jiangsu and Shandong provinces. The technology was initially brought from Denmark and consequently developed to suit local requirements in China, sources said.

The plant in Jiangsu has been developed locally by the project's promoter, China Energy Conservation Investment Corporation at a cost of $31 million. It would produce 132 million KWH of electricity a year after burning about 200,000 tonnes of straw collected from areas around the plant.

The project, which has started on a pilot run would save at least 100 million tonnes of coal that would be required to produce a similar amount of electricity, Yang Xincheng, GM of CECIC said.

The use of straw was an environmental friendly move because farmers in China burn large amounts of straw as part of their field cleaning activity every year. An estimated 140 million tonnes of straw is burnt every year in China causing harm to the environment. "These could be turned into useful power in straw fed power plants," he said.

The government, which is pushing in favour of clean energy like wind, solar and biomass-fired plants, has approved the construction of over 30 biomass power plants. China recently announced plans to set up the world's largest solar power project.

Another straw power plant has been built in Shandong in east China by the Hong Kong based China Biologic Power Group. It will have an installed capacity of 25,000 kilowatts at a cost of $27.5 million. The project will utilise farm produce from Shanxian in Shandong Province, where straw and crop stalks are burned as a cleaning process.

Ashes produced after burning straw in power plant can be used in crop fields as fertilisers, experts said. The plant is using technology from Denmark.