The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued the Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2022. Under this, MoEFCC has extended the deadlines for thermal power plants (TPPs) to install equipment to cut sulphur emissions by two years.
The deadline for TPPs within a 10-km radius of Delhi-NCR and cities with a population of more than 1 million has been extended from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024. For TPPs in a 10-km radius of critically-polluted areas or non-attainment cities, the deadline has been pushed from December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2025. For all other TPPs across the country, the deadline has been pushed from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2026. The power plant units declared to retire before December 31, 2027 will not be required to meet the specified norms for sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions in case such plants submit an undertaking to the Central Pollution Control Board and the Central Electricity Authority for exemption on the ground of retirement.
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