Coal Plant Exemption Weakens Air Goal

Context

The Environment Ministry exempted around 78% of India's coal-based thermal power plants from installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems meant to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO?) emissions, citing revised categorization norms.

FGD Norms Relaxed Amidst Concerns over Air Quality and Policy Rollbacks

Background and Importance of FGD Installation

SO? Emissions from Thermal Power Plants:
- SO? released into the atmosphere reacts with ammonia to form ammonium sulfate, a major contributor to PM2.5 pollution.
- Exposure causes serious health issues such as asthma, bronchitis, and cardiovascular diseases.
Environmental and Health Hazards:
- SO? contributes to acid rain and secondary particulate matter formation.
- These pollutants severely impact public health and degrade ecosystems.

Regulatory Timeline and Policy Developments

Initial Notification (2015):
- Ministry of Environment mandated SO? and other emission control norms for coal power plants, to be met by December 2017.
- Power companies cited high costs and disruption risks; deadlines were extended.
Categorization Norms (2021):
- Plants were divided into 3 categories:
  - Category A: Within 10 km of critically polluted or non-attainment cities – deadline: 2022.
  - Category B: Within 10 km of the National Capital Region (NCR) – deadline: 2022.
  - Category C: All remaining plants – deadline: 2024.
July 2025 Decision:
- Plants in Category C that are operational till 2030 are exempted from installing FGD.
- Only plants set to operate beyond December 2030 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Scientific Justifications and Criticisms

Government’s Justification:
- Studies by IIT-Delhi, NIAS, and NEERI claim that SO? levels around plants are within limits.
- FGD operation leads to increased CO? emissions, potentially offsetting air quality gains.
Counter-Arguments by Experts:
- CREA and CSE argue that monitoring systems (CAMoN) fail to capture actual SO? levels due to poor methodology.
- CSE study shows that SO? plumes travel long distances before converting into secondary pollutants, misleading emission inventories.

Key Concerns Raised

Dilution of Environmental Norms: Exempting a vast majority of plants undermines clean air goals and the 2015 mandate.
Impact on Public Health: Inadequate SO? regulation may perpetuate respiratory and cardiovascular health issues, particularly in vulnerable populations.
Climate vs Air Quality Trade-off: The argument that FGD increases CO? poses a dilemma between air quality and climate change mitigation efforts.

Way Forward:

Independent Third-Party Verification: Establish independent audits of SO? emission data from all coal plants.
Strengthening Monitoring Systems: Upgrade CAMoN with better spatial coverage, remote sensing, and real-time data integration.
Adaptive Policy Framework: Adopt a flexible but accountable approach where exemptions are based on verified performance and emission records.
Just Energy Transition Plan: Gradually phase out polluting plants with a roadmap aligned to India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) and net-zero targets.