FGD rule relaxation may cut electricity cost by 25-30 paise per unit

The government's move to ease sulphur emission rules for most coal-fired power plants strikes a delicate balance between costs, climate and compliance and is expected to cut electricity costs by 25-30 paise per unit, officials said on Sunday.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

In a gazette notification, the government has restricted the 2015 mandate of installing flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) systems that remove sulphur from power plants' exhaust gases, only to plants located within 10 kilometres of cities with a population exceeding one million.

Plants in critically polluted areas or non-attainment cities will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis while all other plants—accounting for nearly 79 per cent of India's thermal power capacity—are exempt from mandatory FGD installation.

The notification stated that the decision was made following a detailed analysis by the Central Pollution Control Board, which found increased carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the operation of existing control measures.