Specific standards for the thermal power plants to control the emissions:

• In 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified specific standards for the thermal power plants to control the emissions under “Environment (Protection) Amendment Rules, 2015”.
• As per rough estimates, the 2015 norms can reduce the TPPs’ PM emissions by 35%, SO2 emissions by 80%, and NOx emissions by 42% and reduce their water consumption by nearly a third.

The norms provide different mechanisms to reduce the emissions and usage of water such as:

• Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) process for controlling SOx emissions.
• Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system for controlling NOx emissions.
• Electro-Static Precipitators (ESPs) are to be deployed for control of particulate matter (PM) in thermal power stations.
• Installation of cooling towers in order to change over to a closed cooling water system for controlling water consumption.

Need for such standards for power sector:

• Coal dependent power sector: Coal accounts for 205 GW (56%) of the total installed power generation capacity in the country—and for 77% of the current electricity supply in the country and India needs to ensure that this capacity is made cleaner.
• High emissions by power plants: Thermal power plants are a source of 60% of industrial particulate matter, 45% of SO2, and 30% of NOx emissions in the country, apart from 80% of mercury as a pollutant.
• Health impacts: TPPs account for some 80% of India’s industrial emissions of sulfur- and nitrous oxides in India, which cause lung diseases, acid rain, and smog.