The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has amended rules allowing thermal power plants within 10 km of the National Capital Region (NCR) and in cities with more than 10 lakh population to comply with new emission norms by the end of 2022.
A task force will be constituted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to categorise thermal power plants (TPPs) in three categories on the basis of their location.
Also, TPP units in non-attainment cities and those within 10 km of critically polluted areas are required to meet the emission norms by 31 December 2023.
Non-attainment cities are those which have consistently failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. CPCB has identified 124 such cities. Coal-fired power plants in the rest of the areas have to comply with the new standards by 31 December 2024.
TPPs declared to retire before 31 December 2025 are not required to meet the specified norms in case such plants submit an undertaking to CPCB and CEA (Central Electricity Authority) for exemption on ground of retirement.
MoEFCC had revised emission norms for particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen for TPPs in December 2015, requiring them to install emission control systems by December 2017.
The deadline was pushed to December 2022 for all power stations in the country in view of implementation issues and challenges. However, power stations in the national capital region were required to comply with the revised norms by December 2019.
