India Notifies Stricter Standards for Thermal Power Plants

Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, December 29, 2015

Moving towards stricter emission norms to minimise pollution, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, recently amended emission standards of thermal power plants. The amended standards eliminate what until now had been a notable failing in the regulation of the thermal power generation sector, by introducing for the first time, limits on the emissions of Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂), Oxides of Nitrogen (NO_x) and Mercury (Hg), and making the existing standard for Particulate Matter (PM) significantly stricter.[1] Under the amended standards, thermal power plants have been classified in to three categories based on their date of installation:

• Before 31^st December, 2006
• Between 31^st December 2006 to 31^st December, 2016
• After 31^st December, 2016.

In certain cases, separate standards have been notified for units with less than 500 MW capacity and those exceeding a capacity of 500 MW. All existing plants have to achieve the specified standards within two years.

Earlier this year, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation released an assessment of opportunities available for improving efficiency and reducing emissions of thermal power plants in India. We welcome this move by the Government given that the amended standards will bring the environmental performance of thermal power plants in India closer to those operating in other large developed and emerging economies.

The table below presents the amended standards:

[1] The existing standard for PM was 350 mg/Nm³ for TPPs with a capacity less than 210 MW and 150 mg/Nm³ for those with a higher capacity than 210MW.