With reference to coal based thermal power plants in India, consider the following statements: How many of the above statements are correct?

Answer: (d) None

Each “none of them” statement has clear counter-examples.

Statement by statement

1. ✗ WRONG Coastal plants like Mundra and Tuticorin use seawater for cooling.

2. ✗ WRONG Many plants are in water-stressed districts (e.g. Vidarbha, Chandrapur).

3. ✗ WRONG Many are private — Adani, Tata Power, JSW, Reliance.

The idea

A thermal power plant needs fuel, cooling and finance, but these can come from different arrangements. A coastal location may allow seawater cooling, while an inland plant competes for freshwater. A claim about none of the plants fails if even one real plant is a counter-example.

Fuel burns → Heat converts boiler water to steam → Steam turns a turbine → Generator produces electricity → Cooling condenses spent steam → Water returns to the steam cycle

Why the others are wrong

(c) Accepts three sweeping “none” claims.

The trap

“None of them” — absolute words. One example breaks each.

Elimination technique

Mundra counters both the seawater and private-ownership claims; Chandrapur provides the water-stress anchor. Each universal negative is broken by a specific example, leaving (d).

Also know

Pit-head plants are located near coal mines; coastal plants can receive imported coal through ports. Cooling water and boiler water are not the same: boiler feed water needs treatment, even where seawater is used in a separate cooling circuit. Water stress can affect electricity supply as well as drinking water.