Panipat Thermal Power Station to be shut down if emission standards not met

• 4 years ago (2019-11-29)
• David Flin

Asia 846 Coal 273

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India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued a notice to the Panipat Thermal Power Station in Haryana that one of its units could be shut down for failure to comply with the deadline to meet emission standards.

SP Parihar, Chairman of the CPCB, said: “Haryana Power Generation Corporation is hereby directed to show cause as to why unit 7 of the Panipat Thermal Power Station should not be closed in view of non-compliance.” The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change had in 2015 come up with new norms for coal-fired plants on emissions of particulate matter, SO2, and NOx.

There was an earlier deadline of December 2017 for power stations to adhere to these limits. However, 440 plants that were to be fitted with flue gas desulphurisation units did not meet the deadline. The Central Electricity Authority extended the deadline to 2022, with power plants in the National Capital Region (NCR), where pollution is significantly greater, having to meet a deadline of 2019. According to a report released by the Centre for Science and Environment, most power plants in Delhi-NCR will fail to meet the December 2019 deadline.

The Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority had earlier said Haryana’s two coal-based power plants in NCR will be shut down if they fail to comply with emission norms by next year.