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The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has issued yet another extension for thermal power plants (TPP) to comply with sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emission norms, marking the fourth such delay.
In a notification dated December 30, 2024, the ministry extended the deadlines for installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems in TPPs. The announcement has reignited debates about the necessity, feasibility and urgency of ensuring cleaner coal-based power generation in India.
As of November 30, 2024, India’s total installed power generation capacity stands at 456.747 gigawatt (GW). Coal-based TPPs account for 217.65 GW — approximately 47 per cent of the total capacity and 71 per cent of electricity generation.
TPPs play an important role in the nation’s energy sector, so reducing their environmental impact is critical. Coal-fired power plants are among the largest contributors to air pollution, emitting particulate matter (PM), SO₂, nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and heavy metals.
In December 2015, the MoEF&CC implemented India’s first emission norms for SO₂, NOₓ and mercury control, acknowledging the significant impact of coal-fired power plants on pollution levels, both directly and through secondary particulate formation.
The notification mandated the installation of SO₂ control technologies, such as FGD systems, within two years, with compliance deadlines set for December 2017. However, progress has been dismal and subsequent extensions have continued to push deadlines further.
2015: MoEF&CC introduced strict emission norms for coal-fired TPPs, with a compliance deadline of 2017.
2017: The Union Ministry of Power requested an extension of seven years. The Supreme Court eventually granted five additional years, until 2022, with Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) plants to comply by 2019.
2021: On April 1, the MoEF&CC issued a notification directing the formation of a task force consisting of representatives from the environment and power ministries, the CEA and the CPCB. The task force was formed on April 16, 2021, to disaggregate 596 coal TPPs based on location, resulting in categories A, B and C with varying compliance deadlines.
Category A included plants within a 10-kilometre radius of the NCR or cities with populations greater than one million. These plants had to meet compliance requirements by December 31, 2022. Category B included plants within a 10-kilometre radius of critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities, with a December 31, 2023 deadline.
Category C includes all remaining plants, which were scheduled to comply by December 31, 2024.
2022: New deadlines for SO₂ compliance for non-retiring TPPs were announced in September — Category A by December 31, 2024; Category B by December 31, 2025 and Category C by December 31, 2026.
2024: A notification in December announced that the deadlines for SO₂ compliance for non-retiring TPPs were revised again. Category A now has a deadline of December 31, 2027; Category B by December 31, 2028 and Category C by December 31, 2029.
“A lack of coordination and clear communication between the Ministry of Power, MoEF&CC and TPPs regarding FGD requirements has caused widespread confusion. This has allowed TPPs to repeatedly delay the installation of FGD systems as compliance deadlines approach, creating uncertainty for manufacturers striving to meet demand,” said Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, industry and renewable energy at Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment
Further complicating the matter, a Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) report supported by central think tank NITI Aayog recently suggested that FGD systems might not be necessary.
CSIR-NEERI, in a meeting held on August 21, 2024, recommended against installing additional equipment like FGD systems, claiming that SO₂ emissions from India’s coal-based power plants do not significantly affect ambient air quality.
Instead, the report suggested prioritising PM control over SO₂. However, this view risks downplaying the importance of SO₂ regulation, particularly in regions like Delhi-NCR, where air quality remains critically poor.
India’s coal-fired thermal power plants (CFTPPs) have made varied progress in complying with FGD norms, according to a press release by the Press Information Bureau. To date, 7 per cent of the units (39 in total) have successfully installed FGD systems, contributing a combined capacity of 19,430 megawatt (MW).
Contracts have been awarded or are under implementation for 44 per cent of the units (238 in total), representing a capacity of 1,05,200 MW. Meanwhile, 26 per cent of the units (139 in total), with a capacity of 42,847 MW, are at different stages of the tendering process.
The remaining 23 per cent of the units (121 in total), accounting for 36,683 MW, are still in the pre-tendering phase.
Although penalties for non-compliant operations beyond the stipulated time exist, they remain ineffective as deadlines are consistently extended. Under the 2022 notification, penalties range from Rs 0.2 per unit of electricity for delays up to 180 days, Rs 0.3 per unit for 181 to 365 days, to Rs 0.4 per unit for delays beyond a year. However, these measures have yet to be enforced due to the lack of fixed deadlines.
The repeated extensions reflect deep systemic issues in managing air pollution from TPPs, including a lack of coordinated planning, ineffective enforcement mechanisms and insufficient urgency in tackling emissions from one of the largest contributors to air pollution.
These delays increase the environmental and public health toll of inaction. Effective SO₂ regulation is not just an environmental necessity but also a public health imperative.
“The Ministry of Power must take decisive steps to ensure FGD implementation in Category A plants located in Delhi-NCR, where air quality is among the worst in the country. Once these critical plants are addressed, efforts can then be scaled to other regions in categories B and C,” stressed Yadav.
To break the cycle of delays, a transparent roadmap addressing bottlenecks such as procurement challenges, financial constraints and regulatory ambiguities is critical. Additionally, penalties for non-compliance must be prioritised, with no further extensions granted. This will compel TPPs to take compliance deadlines seriously and expedite the necessary installations.
With the clock ticking, it is time to reconsider our approach towards it. Ensuring clean power from coal-based plants is not just a regulatory requirement but a responsibility towards cleaner air and healthier lives.
