‘Sulphur-cleaning equipment in coal plants unnecessary’

• A committee of experts, chaired by Principal Scientific Adviser Ajay Sood, recommends eliminating the mandate for Flu Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units in all coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs).

• FGD units are required to be retro-fitted in TPPs to reduce harmful sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions.

• The committee exempts about 80% of India’s 600 TPPs from installing FGD units, despite 92% of them not yet installing them.

• The Power Ministry, the overseer of India’s TPPs, cites factors like limited vendors, high installation costs, potential electricity bill rise, and COVID-19 disruptions as reasons for plants’ inability to meet previous deadlines.

• The committee’s decision is based on three reports by the CSIR-NEERI, the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

• The committee will recommend only Category A plants within a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region and cities with a million+ population be required to install FGDs.

• The committee concludes that the fitment of FGDs in all TPPs is not necessary to comply with the NAAQ standards, which are essential to safeguard public health.