India Eases Clean-Air Equipment Mandate for Coal Plants

• 15 Jul 2025

On 11th July 2025, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a notification reversing key aspects of India’s 2015 clean-air mandate, significantly easing sulphur emission norms for coal-fired power plants.

Key Points

• 2015 Mandate Rollback: Nearly 540 coal-fired power plants were earlier required to install flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems in phases by 2027.
• The new notification exempts 79% of these units located beyond a 10-km radius from polluted or populated cities.
• Partial Exemptions: Another 11% of power plants, located near but not within major polluted areas, may now be considered for FGD installation on a “case-to-case” basis.
• Mandatory for Critical Zones: Only 10% of the plants—those near New Delhi and other million-plus population cities—must install FGD systems by December 2027.
• Cost Implications: NTPC, India’s top electricity producer, has already invested $4 billion to comply with the 2015 rules.
• Environmental Rationale: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) supported the rollback after a detailed analysis, citing increased carbon dioxide emissions associated with operating pollution-control equipment like FGD units.