16th June 2025 (10 Topics)
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Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD)
Context
A high-level expert committee chaired by Principal Scientific Advisor Ajay Sood has recommended rolling back India's 2015 policy mandating the installation of Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units in all coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs). This proposal comes in the wake of low compliance rates, financial concerns, and a recent Ministry of Environment notification deferring implementation deadlines.
What is Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD)?
- FGD is a pollution control technology designed to remove Sulphur Dioxide (SO?) from flue gases emitted during the combustion of fossil fuels in thermal power plants.
- Types of FGD technologies:
- Dry Sorbent Injection: Involves powdered limestone.
- Wet Limestone Scrubbing: Forms gypsum, widely used.
- Seawater Scrubbing: Used in coastal plants.
Why SO? Control is Necessary?
- SO? contributes significantly to 5 pollution via secondary particulate formation.
- Major contributor to respiratory diseases, acid rain, and climate change.
- According to modelling studies, 15% of India’s PM2.5 is attributed to coal, and 80% of that is due to SO? emissions.
Status of FGD Implementation in India (As of April 2025)
- Mandate issued in 2015 to all 537 coal-fired TPPs.
- Original deadline was 2018; later revised to 2027-29.
- As of now, only 39 plants have installed FGDs.
- New installations take approximately two years.
Economic and Policy Challenges
- Estimated cost: ?1.2 crore per MW.
- Total estimated cost for planned capacity addition: ?97,000 crore.
- Tariff impact: Around ?0.72/kWh, largely from fixed costs.
- Government cited public health, affordability, and emissions balance in evaluating the rollback.
Broader Environmental and Policy Linkages
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- Links with Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
- Compliance critical for India’s Paris Agreement NDCs and air pollution reduction commitments.
PYQ:Q. Which of the following are the reasons for the formation of smog in urban areas? (2020)
Select the correct answer using the code below:
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