FGD Technology Installation Could Reduce SO2 Emissions by 67%
New Delhi: A new study conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) suggests that installing flue-gas desulfurisation (FGD) technology in 12 coal-based thermal power plants within a 300-km radius of Delhi could lead to a significant reduction in sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions.
The study, which analyzed the emissions from these power plants between June 2022 and May 2023, found that if FGD technology is integrated into these plants, SO2 emissions could be reduced by an annual 67 per cent. This would bring down the current 281 kilotonnes of SO2 released into the atmosphere to just 93 kilotonnes annually.
The power plants considered in this study are Dadri TPP, Guru Hargobind TPS, Harduaganj TPS, Indira Gandhi STPP, Mahatma Gandhi TPS, Panipat TPS, Rajiv Gandhi TPS, Rajpura TPP, Ropar TPS, Talwandi Sabo TPP, and Yamuna Nagar TPS. Additionally, the Goindwal Sahib power plant in Punjab was also considered due to its proximity to Delhi.
Despite a 2015 directive from the government to install FGD technology, only two plants have made progress so far – the Mahatma Gandhi Thermal Power Station in Haryana and the Dadri Thermal Power Plant in Uttar Pradesh. The remaining eight plants have missed several deadlines for installation.
According to the CREA report, three power plants – Talwandi Sabo (Punjab), Rajpura (Punjab), and Panipat (Haryana) – which emit significant amounts of SO2 annually could see a reduction in emissions by up to 83 per cent once FGD technology is installed. This would result in annual outputs of just eight kilotonnes, six kilotonnes, and seven kilotonnes respectively.
The study also compared the impact of thermal power plant emissions with stubble burning, finding that the annual SO2 emissions from NCR's thermal plants are 16 times higher than those caused by burning 8.9 million tonnes of paddy straw.
Delhi's air quality continued to deteriorate on Sunday, with an AQI of 441, making it the second-most polluted city in the country.