Page 14 - AsiaElec Week 41 2022

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India suspends environmental

clearance for coal power plant

INDIA INDIA’S National Green Tribunal has sus- project not commissioned.
pended the environment clearance granted for While dismissing the pleas by the appellant
the Yadadri thermal power station (TPP) being agency, the Conservation Action Trust, related to
built in Nalgonda district. the issue of forest clearance and conduct of pub-
The tribunal said that the project’s coal link- lic hearing, the tribunal, however, found force in
ages, meaning its coal supply contracts, were not the submission that there was no specific doc-
yet secure enough and that the project site was ument for the coal linkage, except some MoUs.
too close to the Amrabad Tiger Reserve. The 5 x 800-MW super-critical plant was
However, the Southern Zonal Bench of the initially pitched with a proposal to use imported
Apex Green Court has given nine months for coal blended with indigenous coal, and outlined
the Telangana State Power Generation Corpo- in the environmental impact assessment submit-
ration, the project’s promoter, to get the project ted to the Expert Appraisal Committee.
reappraised by the Expert Appraisal Committee. BHEL is developing the machinery and pol-
It could then apply again for fresh clearance from lution control mechanism that will have to be
the Ministry of the Environment and Forests adopted for the mix.
(MoEF). During the course of arguments, however,
The ruling comes as India plans to cut gener- it was submitted before the court, that total
ating output from a minimum of 81 coal-fired indigenous coal was being opted for in view of
power plants by 2025 in an effort to replace ther- the import restrictions imposed by the central
mal generation with cheaper renewables. government.
India expects the plan to reduce power gen- Considering the fact that the impact of the
eration by 58bn kWh from the 81 utility com- coal on the ambient air quality would depend on
panies to save 34.7mn tonnes of coal and cut the nature of coal used, the tribunal issued direc-
carbon emissions by 60.2mn tonnes, the latter tions for further study in case 100% indigenous
said. coal is opted, and a reappraisal by the EAC.
The decision comes as international coal Noting wide variation between the reports
prices have risen and the government has put of Vimta Labs and the IICT with regard to mer-
pressure on coal importers to buy in more coal cury content in the coal, which had not been pre-
in a bid to meet domestic demand for electricity. sented before the EAC, the tribunal commented
In May, three India state governments said that unless it is evaluated, a conclusion cannot
they will buy in 10.5mn tonnes in the near future be reached.
in a bid to combat power cuts, potentially tight- Noting that the exact distance between the
ening global coal markets and pushing up prices. boundary of the project area and the Amrabad
The Indian government used powers under Tiger Reserve has been given neither in the
the Electricity Act to require all power plants report by the PCCF & chief wildlife warden, nor
reliant on imported coal to run at full capacity in the EIA report, the bench noted that it was
until October 31 in a bid to boost power gener- not possible to reach a conclusion as to whether
ation capacity. a clearance from National Board for Wild-
Construction work at the power station will life is needed unless the distance is accurately
be allowed to go on during the appeals process, measured.™
provided that the plant is not installed and the

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