SO2 emission of 12 power plants around Delhi can be reduced by 67%: Study

The sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions of 12 coal-based thermal power plants located in a 300-km radius of Delhi can be reduced by as much as 67% if these facilities install flue gas desulfurization (FGD) technology, a new analysis has found.
The study, released by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) on Sunday, looked at data from the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) website on thermal power plants.
Thermal power plants are the only industry in the National Capital Region where the use of coal as a fuel is permitted — the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) banned its use from all other industries in NCR from October 1, 2022.
There are 11 coal-based thermal power plants within a 300km radius of Delhi — Dadri TPP, Guru Hargobind TPS, Harduaganj TPS, Indira Gandhi STPP, Mahatma Gandhi TPS, Panipat TPS, Rajiv Gandhi TPS, Rajpura TPP, Ropar TPS, Talwandi Sabo TPP, and Yamuna Nagar TPS. Additionally, the Goindwal Sahib Power Plant in Punjab — located just outside this 300km radius —is also considered when making decisions about thermal power plants around the Capital.
CREA said these 12 thermal plants emitted 281 kilotonnes of SO2 between June 2022 and May 2023, while the installation of FGD will bring this figure down to 93 kilotonnes.
The latest CEA data shows only two power plants — Mahatma Gandhi TPS (Haryana) and Dadri TPP (Uttar Pradesh) — have FGD installed so far, despite directions to do so from the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) in 2015.
The CREA analysis said that not only have the remaining power plants missed the first deadline of December 2017 to install FGD, but have also missed the three subsequent deadlines of December 2019, March 2021, and December 2022.
The latest deadline for four of these plants is now December 2024, while for the remaining six is December 2026.
“Data on FGD installation progress for all power plants in India has not been updated since November 2023 on the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) website, with the latest available status data only from October 2023. This lack of timely updates creates a transparency gap, hindering the ability to track the progress of emission control measures,” said the analysis.
“Plant wise analysis showed that Talwandi Sabo TPP, Rajpura TPP, and Panipat TPS, which currently emit 48, 35, and 40 kilotonnes of SO2 per year, respectively, are expected to achieve the highest reduction of 83% after installing FGD, bringing their emissions down to just 8, 6, and 7 kilotonnes annually,” the analysis added, calling for a faster switch across the region.
Manoj Kumar, analyst at CREA said not only do the plants need to show transparency, but strict regulatory action is needed for delays and missing deadlines. “The health and economic benefits of FGD far outweigh the costs, offering a pathway to improved public health and cleaner air in NCR,” said Kumar.
CREA further said the annual SO2 emissions released by thermal power plants are 16 times greater than those released by stubble burning. To be sure, SO2 is not the primary pollutant released during stubble burning, with pollutants such as PM 2.5 and CO2 released during farm fires in much greater quantities.