| Emissions reduction


Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be controlled to have any chance of meeting the Paris Agreement goals. A complicating factor is that controlling carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion presents a conundrum for a developing nation such as India. Being the second most highly populated country in the world and having the third largest and fastest-growing economy, India craves massive amounts of energy, which mainly comes from fossil fuel combustion, particularly coal. Despite its reliance on coal, India’s annual GHG emissions are 2 tonnes/capita, compared with over 7.3 tonnes for China and 15.5 tonnes for the USA. But the size of the population means that India is the third-largest total emitter, contributing 7% to total GHG emissions, after China’s 28% and the USA’s 14%. Besides the international pressure to control GHG emissions, India is also potentially very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. This combination means that India has started driving its policy onto a sustainable path, unlike in the past when it used to claim that flexibility on emissions was needed to afford it equal growth opportunities to those enjoyed by developed countries. The proactive policies and initiatives India announced and adopted in recent years have been impressive - such as the massive solar power capacity build-up and the recent “Panchamrit” announcement at COP-26 in Glasgow. A major shift towards cleaner and greener energy while phasing-down coal-based power is one of the key initiatives. (see text box, above)


But India’s shift from coal-based power will not be rapid, due to the sheer scale of the challenge, the large share of coal in the energy mix, the lack of available alternatives, the long lead times, and the investment needed. India’s total installed generating capacity is almost 400 GW, with 59% from fossil fuel and 41% from renewables and nuclear. Coal-based power is the largest single energy source, accounting for some 51% of capacity. In terms of actual generation, coal produces 75% of the annual total (1400 billion kWh currently). This power generation consumes over 700 million tonnes of coal per year, representing over 88% of India’s total coal consumption and around 90% of domestic production. The journey towards renewables that India has started – from 40 GW of renewables capacity in 2020 to 100 GW in 2022 and the target of 400 GW by 2030 – is extremely ambitious. However, coal-based power is expected to remain an important energy source for decades.


India’s “Panchamrit” announcement at COP 26: five key commitments


1. Having non-fossil generating capacity of 500 GW by 2030. 2. Meeting 50% of India’s energy requirements from renewables by 2030. 3. Reduction in total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now till 2030. 4. Reduction in the carbon intensity of the Indian economy by more than 45% by 2030. 5. Achieve the “net zero” target by 2070.


A study by the International Centre for Sustainable Carbon (ICSC) has found that increased electricity demand in India is inevitable as it continues rapid economic development and that coal-based power will constitute a significant part of total generating capacity for some time, even as the country increases its renewables capacity. This means improving the existing coal-fired power sector is more urgent – through improved efficiency, tighter environmental controls, and better pollution monitoring and reporting. ICSC’s new study, Status of continuous emission monitoring systems at coal-fired power plants in India, published in December 2021, aims to assist in bringing about these improvements. The study is part of a US Department of State project aimed at “capacity building” in India in the area of emissions reduction and the meeting of tighter emissions standards, or norms, in the coal-based power sector. The report assesses the environmental performance and status of regulatory compliance at Indian coal-based power plants and suggests a way forward.


New norms: dragged, diluted, delayed As well as being one of the largest emitters of GHG, Indian coal-based power is also one of the biggest polluters in the country, contributing around 60% of the total particulate matter (PM), 45% of the SO2


, 30% of the NOX , and over


80% of mercury emissions produced by Indian industry as a whole. It consumes large volumes of water, has a significant potential for water pollution and results in considerable waste production. Inferior technology, low efficiency, and ineffective pollution control, especially in the case of older plants, are contributory factors, as is the fundamental problem of low-quality domestic coal, containing up to 40% ash, 0.4–0.6% sulphur and 0.01–1.5 ppm of mercury, which inherently constrains power plant performance.


Emission limits for coal-fired power plants in India PM, mg/Nm3 150-350


Old limits New limits


Units installed between 2004-2016 Units installed from 1 January 2017


* Relaxed (from 300mg/Nm3 Nm3


50 50


600 (<500 MW) 


100 ) in 2020, as outlined in subsequent paragraphs = “normal cubic meter”, being defined as corrected to 6% O2 dry basis *sanjeevkanchan11@gmail.com www.modernpowersystems.com | May 2022 | 13


450* 100


0.03 0.03


SO2, mg/Nm3 None


The fast pace of coal plant capacity addition, undoubtedly multiplying the potential for increased pollution, compelled India to revise its coal plant emission limits. The table below summarises the new requirements. In 2015, limits were introduced for SO2


, NOx


emissions for the first time and the existing PM emission limit was tightened. Power plants were expected to comply with the new norms by applying suitable measures, such as ESP upgrade, FGD installation, SNCR, SCR and/or combustion modifications for NOx


and mercury


control, with


the combined effects of these measures acting to reduce mercury emissions. To reduce water use, plants with once-through cooling were asked to adopt cooling tower based closed-loop cooling.


Notification of these new environmental norms was given by India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MOEFCC) in December 2015, with a two-year time frame for compliance. Unfortunately, the lack of consultation, planning and timely follow- up by the government dealt a severe blow to this initiative and, as the deadline approached, the new rules became embroiled in rounds of debate and delaying and derailing tactics by the industry lobby – so much so that the new norms have yet to be widely implemented. The push-back primarily focused on concerns about the investment needed for new technologies, technology suitability and availability, and timelines. Meanwhile, environmental pollution and related health implications across the country were becoming critical, and public concerns generated mounting pressure.


NOx, mg/Nm3 None


Hg, mg/Nm3 None


A study published by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) in 2018 estimated that over $33 billion of investment in pollution control equipment was needed for the new emissions limits to be met by 2030. It is also estimated over 1.1 million deaths in India were attributable to PM2.5 air pollution, including 90 000 deaths in 2015 arising from emissions from coal-fired power plants. The study warned that non- compliance with the new emission limits could contribute to 300 000–320 000 premature deaths and around 50 million hospitalisations between 2019 and 2030. Compliance, on the other hand, could provide monetised health benefits amounting to over $129 billion by 2030, assuming the emission limits were met by 2025.


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