FGD norms eased to balance costs, climate and compliance

Time of India

a day ago

MUMBAI:
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (
MoEF&CC
) has revised India's 2015 emission norms, dropping the blanket requirement for
coal-fired power plants
to install
Flue Gas Desulphurisation
(FGD) systems in a move that will save Indian households and industries some 25 to 30 paise per unit of electricity.
FGDs will now be mandatory only for coal-fired power plants within 10 km of cities with population of over 1 million, plants in critically polluted or non-attainment areas and those using high-sulphur imported coal. All other plants, especially those using low-sulphur Indian coal, are exempt.
FGD is a system that removes sulphur dioxide (SO₂) from the smoke released by coal-fired power plants. While effective in high-sulphur conditions, it is expensive, water-intensive and adds carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions during installation and operation.
FGDs are useful in places with high sulphur coal (like in China or the US), high ambient SO₂ levels and dense urban proximity.
The decision follows a series of studies by IIT Delhi, CSIR-NEERI and the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), which found that ambient sulphur dioxide (SO₂) levels in most parts of India are well within the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Measurements across multiple cities showed SO₂ levels ranging between 3 and 20 µg/m³, significantly below the NAAQS threshold of 80 µg/m³.
The studies also questioned the environmental and economic efficacy of a universal FGD mandate in the Indian context. Indian coal typically has a sulphur content of less than 0.5%, and due to high stack heights and favourable meteorological conditions, dispersion of SO₂ is efficient.
The NIAS study warned that retrofitting FGDs nationwide would add an estimated 69 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions between 2025 and 2030 due to increased limestone mining, transportation, and power consumption.
Globally, carbon markets aim to incentivise generators that are reducing their carbon footprint and penalize those who are emitting carbon.
With the installation of FGD, India may be increasing its carbon footprint with a reduction in SO2 emission, which is not advisable as per the present ambient air quality levels, according to a report written by CSIR-NEERI with financial support from NITI Aayog.
Besides, SO₂ and CO₂ have different atmospheric lifetimes - SO₂ has a short atmospheric lifetime of several hours to about 15 days, while CO₂ persists for over 100 years.
The current cost of FGD systems is approximately Rs1.40 crore per MW. As per recent Central Electricity Authority (CEA) estimate, around Rs1,47,000 crores capital investment will be required for the installation of the remaining 105 GW coal-based power plants.
'Now, it becomes imperative that the country make timely decisions so that consumers can be prevented from additional financial burdens. An appropriate decision may be taken by the concerned authority regarding the installation of FGDs in Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) considering that the ambient SO2 concentration is well below the prescribed limit,' the CSIR-NEERI report said.
'If FGD retrofits raise CO₂ emissions, are we not choosing the lesser evil here by avoiding them where they are not needed,' said a power industry source.
'Do we need to burden consumers with ₹2.5 lakh crore in unnecessary infrastructure when SO₂ levels are already well within limits,' he asked.
'This is a smarter use of resources, focusing on particulate matter and grid upgrades instead of chasing a global fad,' he said, noting that Indian consumers are better off without the one-size-fits-all FGD mandates.
The Ministry's move is seen as a smart, science-led decision based on Indian coal chemistry and local air data. It avoids unnecessary CO₂ emissions from limestone use and auxiliary power.
It aligns with global best practices - even the US, EU and China have moved to targeted FGD deployment, not blanket mandates.
'This is not a rollback. FGDs remain mandatory where necessary - near large urban populations or in heavily polluted areas,' the industry source said.
'This is a good example of India taking sovereign control of environmental policy, instead of blindly following Western rules,' he added.