India pollution regulator threatens to shut coal-fired utilities around New Delhi
2019-11-29 11:19:48 [Print]
India's federal pollution regulator has warned coal-fired power plants around New Delhi that they could be shut down for failing to comply with deadlines to meet emissions standards, according to sources.
The move comes as New Delhi and other nearby cities in north India have been struggling with some of the worst air pollution levels on earth, prompting local governments to shut schools and declare health emergencies this month.
The proposed action, if implemented, could be the strictest action yet on non-compliant utilities, which had already won an extension on a December 2017 deadline for power plants to meet emissions standards, after extensive lobbying by the industry.
A mass shutdown could lead to electricity shortages in and around the country's capital city, and it is not immediately clear how the government plans to ensure adequate electricity supply, if it follows through on the threat.
In a letter dated Nov. 13 to the head of the Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS), which is run by the state government in Haryana - located north of Delhi - the India's Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Chair cited a host of alleged violations, and gave it 15 days to show cause for non-compliance.
India has a phased plan for plants to comply with emission norms, which involve installing Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units that cut emissions of sulfur dioxides. All plants in the National Capital Region - in and around New Delhi - have to comply by the end of 2019.
The move comes as New Delhi and other nearby cities in north India have been struggling with some of the worst air pollution levels on earth, prompting local governments to shut schools and declare health emergencies this month.
The proposed action, if implemented, could be the strictest action yet on non-compliant utilities, which had already won an extension on a December 2017 deadline for power plants to meet emissions standards, after extensive lobbying by the industry.
A mass shutdown could lead to electricity shortages in and around the country's capital city, and it is not immediately clear how the government plans to ensure adequate electricity supply, if it follows through on the threat.
In a letter dated Nov. 13 to the head of the Panipat Thermal Power Station (PTPS), which is run by the state government in Haryana - located north of Delhi - the India's Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Chair cited a host of alleged violations, and gave it 15 days to show cause for non-compliance.
India has a phased plan for plants to comply with emission norms, which involve installing Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units that cut emissions of sulfur dioxides. All plants in the National Capital Region - in and around New Delhi - have to comply by the end of 2019.
