(TOI)
Commission for Air Quality Management has informed National Green Tribunal that only 13 out of the 35 units in 11 thermal power plants operating within a 300km radius of Delhi have installed the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) technology, which helps in reducing sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions.
In a report dated April 22, CAQM said, “Out of the total 35 units in the zone of consideration within 300km of Delhi, only 13 units have FGDs installed while action is ongoing for the balance towards compliance with the SO2 emission norms.” It added that it was likely to take at least 36 months for the remaining plants to complete the entire process of installation and commissioning of FGD systems.
NGT is hearing a case based on a media report on pollution from the thermal power plants within a 300km radius of Delhi. The media report was based on a study by Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, stating that if all 11 thermal power plants in the region switched to FGD, it would cut down SO2 emissions by 67% — from 281 kilotonne annually to just 93 kilotonne.
CAQM said that within a 300km radius of Delhi, there are 11 thermal power plants operating with 35 units, having a total capacity of 13,575MW. These thermal power stations are distributed across three states: Haryana houses five plants (Panipat thermal power station, Rajiv Gandhi TPS, Yamuna Nagar TPS, Mahatma Gandhi TPS and Indira Gandhi super thermal power plant), Punjab has four facilities (Ropar TPS, Talwandi Sabo TPP, Rajpura TPP and Guru Hargobind TPS), and Uttar Pradesh two (Dadri TPP and Harduaganj TPS).
The report stated that FGD installation was complete across all six units at Dadri TPP. At Indira Gandhi STPP, two units had FGD systems in place while the third unit’s commissioning was expected in the near future. Both Mahatma Gandhi TPS and Rajpura TPP units were equipped with FGD systems.
