Delhi Has Worst AQ Of Any World Capital, But Coal Plants Need Still More Time For Emissions Upgrades
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India’s power ministry has asked for coal-fired power plants around New Delhi, the capital city with the worst air quality in the world, to be given more time to install equipment to reduce emissions, after the year-end deadline for action passed.
A government official, who requested anonymity told Reuters on Friday the power ministry had sent its recommendation to the environment ministry, which is in charge of enforcing the emission standards, for the power plants to be given new deadlines starting July 2020 and ending December 2021. The utilities have cited costs and technical difficulties for missing earlier deadlines, at the end of 2017 and then the end of 2019.
Ultimately, the environment ministry and its federal pollution regulator could shut plants that continue to flout the rules, but such drastic action would appear highly unlikely, observers say, because of the public backlash to power shortages and the economic cost.
India had a phased plan for plants to comply with emission norms with some plants given until end-December 2019, while others had till the end of 2022. The required changes involve some 440 coal-fired units, with a combined capacity of 166.5 gigawatts (GW). Private industry estimates and a Reuters analysis in November had found that more than half of India’s coal-fired power plants ordered to retrofit equipment to reduce emissions of gases causing lung disease were set to miss their deadlines.
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https://in.reuters.com/article/india-pollution-coal/indian-power-ministry-seeks-more-time-for-coal-fired-plants-to-instal-emission-equipment-idINKBN1Z90EZ