Coal news and updates

Environment ministry relaxes FGD installation norms

July 15: In order strike balance between environment and coal-based power growth, Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) has eased the implementation of flue-gas desulphurization (FGD) systems at coal-based power plants across the country, which will lower electricity cost, according to an official notification.

As per the notification, thermal power plants outside a 10 km radius of cities with a population of 1 million people or more will be excluded from the requirement to install the system.

These plants, which are exempted from the requirement to install FGD systems, account for nearly 79 percent of the overall 180 operational power plants in the country.

Further, the need for FGD installation of another 11 percent will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the centre based on recommendations of the expert appraisal committee in charge of thermal power projects.

The balance of 10 percent of the coal-fired power plants within a 10 km radius of the NCR or cities with a population of 1 million initially had to install FGD systems by 2017 but have been given multiple extensions. Now, they need to comply by 2027-end.