Thu Apr 17 15:43:41 UTC 2025: ## India Urged to Scrap Costly Coal Plant Upgrades, Focus on Different Pollutant
**NEW DELHI, April 17, 2025** – A new study commissioned by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser and conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bengaluru recommends that India scrap its nationwide mandate for installing Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) equipment in coal-fired power plants. The study argues that the policy, requiring all 537 plants to install FGDs by various deadlines, is wasteful and ineffective given the low sulfur content of most Indian coal.
The NIAS study, authored by R. Srikanth, A.V. Krishnan, and Dizna James, finds that 92% of Indian coal has a low sulfur content (0.3%-0.5%). Existing stack heights and climatic conditions already mitigate sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, and the cost of installing FGDs – estimated at ₹1.2 crore per MW – is exorbitant. The study claims that implementing FGDs across all plants would lead to a substantial increase in CO2 emissions (69 million tonnes between 2025-2030), outweighing the relatively small reduction in SO2.
Instead, the NIAS researchers propose focusing on reducing particulate matter (PM) pollution, a more significant concern stemming from the high ash content of Indian coal. They suggest installing less expensive electrostatic precipitators, developed by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, which could reduce PM pollution by 99% at a cost of just ₹25 lakh per MW.
The study’s findings, shared with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser in November 2024, challenge the 2015 Environment Ministry policy. Dr. Srikanth asserts that the policy was a mistake and calls for its immediate rollback. The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser has yet to comment publicly on the report. The considerable financial implications and potential environmental trade-offs raise significant questions about the current approach to coal plant emissions regulations in India.
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