Question : POLLUTION BY POWER PLANTS

(a) whether the Government has received complaints of coal based Power companies including Tata Power, Mahul causing pollution in the surrounding densely populated areas;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has ascertained that the said companies had the necessary permission to run the units;

(d) if so, the details thereof along with the action taken in this regard including penalty imposed on the polluting units; and

(e) the other steps being taken to contain pollution from thermal power plants in the country?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a)to(d) On a complaint filed by one Shri Debi Goenka of an organization called Conservation Action Trust, the proposal of M/s Tata Power Company Ltd. at Trombay Thermal Power Station at Mahul Road, District Chembur, Mumbai was appraised in three meetings of the Expert Appraisal Committee (Thermal Power) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change held during 2011 to 2013. The final Environmental Clearance was accorded for “Modernization of existing Unit-6 (500 MW) by the Ministry on 8.5.2014 under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. Besides this, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) also received 18 complaints against Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) during 2012-14. The Statewise details of these TPPs alongwith action taken are given at Annexure. The permi- ssion for operating the industries is granted by the respective State Pollution Control Boards.

(e) The steps taken to contain pollution from thermal power plants in the country are as follows:

I. Developed and notified National Ambient Air Quality Standards and source emission (particulate matter) and effluent standards for control of air and water pollution including stack height requirement;

II. To minimize dust generation, power plants have been directed to use beneficiated coal containing ash not more than 34%, notification in this regard was issued on 02.01.2014;

III. In order to mitigate problems related to flyash disposal such as land degradation, fugitive dust emission from ash ponds, flyash utilization has been made mandatory since September 14, 1999;

IV. Power Plants have been asked to provide green belt in and around the plant in 30 % of the total land available.

V. Prompting clean technologies like Super Critical and Fluidized Bed Combustion boilers which are more efficient and generate low emission compared to conventional pulverized fired sub-critical technology.