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CSE: Just 5% of India's coal plants meet SO2 emission norms

2023-06-27

According to a new analysis conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), an environmental think tank, it has been revealed that despite several extensions, only 5% of India's coal-fired power plants have implemented flue gas de-sulfurisation (FGD) systems. These systems are designed to control air pollution by reducing sulphur dioxide emissions. The analysis is based on the updated FGD status released in April by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), which is the technical arm of the Ministry of Power.

In December 2015, the Union environment ministry established emission norms for coal-based power plants. However, these norms have been weakened for various parameters, and the deadlines for compliance have been repeatedly extended.

The CSE analysis indicates that out of the total plants, only 5% have installed FGDs to control sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. This percentage includes 9,280 MW of plants that have reported commissioning FGDs and an additional 1,430 MW of plants claiming to be SO2 compliant.

The installation of FGD systems typically takes around two years and requires temporary shutdowns for necessary arrangements. The researchers at CSE estimated the likelihood of power plants meeting emission norms based on their current compliance stage and the remaining time until the deadline.

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