Green activists are livid with Centre postponing the compliance date for thermal power plants to install emission regulation machinery for the sixth time.
Fly ash is the residue of coal combustion, which, if disposed of improperly, is hazardous. New govt rules include a system of environmental compensation based on polluter-pays principle.
The short supply may force plants to buy expensive imported coal or pay hefty premiums at domestic auctions, and raise costs across an economy already battling high fuel prices.
According to New Delhi-based CEEW, closing down old plants, which consume more coal than new ones, can help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, clean up air and reduce soil & water pollution.
With goods trains not plying in Punjab since 2 Oct, both govt & private thermal plants are facing acute coal shortage. Urea for farms is also not reaching state, leading to shortage.
China patiently invested capital, skill and technology in coal gasification. Unlike it, we won’t move from words to action. As crude prices decline, we lose interest.
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