Hry power plants fail to meet emission norms, get notices

In the dock

*Panipat Thermal Power Station

*Deen Bandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Station in Pansra, Yamunanagar

*Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project in Khedar, Hisar

*Aravali Power Corporation Limited in Jharli, Jhajjar

Given 15 days to respond

Thermal power plants have to respond to the show-cause notices within 15 days, failing which the action will be initiated as per the Environment (Protection) Act.

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, February 2

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has issued show-cause notices to all four thermal power projects in Haryana, including Panipat Thermal Power Station; Deen Bandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Station in Pansra, Yamunanagar; Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Project in Khedar, Hisar; and Aravali Power Corporation Limited in Jharli, Jhajjar; for not complying with the emission norms.

Board chairman SPS Parihar also warned through the notice dated January 31 that their units of power plants could be shut down for failing to comply with the deadline to meet the emission norms and environmental compensation (EC) could be levied on them for not adhering to the directions.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had in 2015 come up with new norms for coal-based power plants to cut down emission of particulate matter (PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The earlier deadline for power stations to adhere to these guidelines was December 2017.

As per the notice, the CPCB had issued directions on December 11, 2017, that plants should install electrostatic precipitators to meet particulate matter emission limit and use flue-gas desulfurisation (FGD) technology to check SO2 emission till December 2019.

Panipat Thermal Power Station failed to comply with the CPCB directions issued under Section 5 of Environment (Protection) Act -1986. The APCL in Jharli too failed to adhere to the directions for installing the latest technology to meet the emission standards till December 2019. The power stations at Pansra and Khedar also did not comply with the orders.

The thermal power plants have to respond to the show-cause notices within 15 days, failing which the action will be initiated as per the Environment (Protection) Act.