India reviews $30 billion sulphur-cutting programme for coal plants

India is reviewing a decade-old $30 billion programme requiring coal-fired power plants to install equipment to cut sulphur emissions after government-backed studies showed they had little impact on curbing pollution, according to a document reviewed by Reuters.

- Reuters

Nearly 540 power plant units were required by 2026 to install flue-gas desulphurization (FGD) systems that remove sulphur from the plants' exhaust gases but only about 8% have done so, including those run by state-run NTPC and privately held JSW Power.

The government previously said expensive foreign technology and manpower were some of the hurdles in achieving the target. But with cities such as New Delhi and Kanpur some of the most polluted in the world, the government is under pressure to reduce the impact of the sectors' emissions.