CREA Study Flags Air Pollution Risk from Maharashtra’s Coal Power Plants Post FGD Exemption

Summary

A new study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has raised serious concerns over the July 2025 notification exempting a majority of Maharashtra’s coal-fired power plants from installing Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) systems. Despite the known benefits of FGD in reducing sulphur dioxide (SO₂), PM2.5, and mercury emissions, nearly 80% of the state’s coal power capacity is now allowed to operate without it. This rollback of emission norms, CREA warns, may lead to worsening air quality, public health issues, and hinder India’s pollution control goals.

Timeline of Events

• 2015: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notifies new SO₂ emission norms requiring FGD installation in coal plants.
• 2017–2023: Multiple deadline extensions are granted to thermal plants due to cost and technical delays.
• July 2025: New MoEFCC notification exempts Category C thermal plants (majority in Maharashtra) from mandatory FGD installation. CREA releases a study highlighting risks associated with this exemption.

Issue Raised

Whether the blanket exemption granted to Category C coal-fired power plants in Maharashtra from installing FGD systems violates public health interests and undermines India’s air quality commitments under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

Arguments & Concerns

CREA (Research Body)

• India is the largest global emitter of SO₂, with power plants responsible for 60% of this output.
• Maharashtra’s exemption affects 45 out of 70 thermal units (~14,760 MW), severely diluting compliance.
• Only 10 units (central and private sector) have installed FGD systems; none of the state-owned units have complied.
• Transboundary pollution from power plants can affect cities over 200 km away.
• The exemption could derail the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and NCAP targets.

Public Health Impact

• SO₂ irritates the respiratory tract and aggravates asthma.
• Mercury exposure affects brain development in foetuses and children, and also harms heart health.
• PM2.5 pollution worsens cardiovascular and pulmonary disease burden across Maharashtra.

Government Stand

The July 2025 notification issued by the MoEFCC exempts Category C plants from installing emission control technology like FGD, requiring only compliance with stack height norms. Category B units will be reviewed individually by the Environment Appraisal Committee, while Category A units are still bound by the 2027 deadline.

Analysis

The latest rollback weakens India’s environmental governance even further. With 19 NCAP cities, the air quality crisis in Maharashtra cannot afford to let more than 80 percent of the state’s thermal power capacity run without FGD compliance. Even with state-owned power plants struggling to meet the FGD compliance mandates, there exists viable compliance technologies with circular economy potentials like gypsum reuse FGD’s. This violates India’s NCAP commitments and climate goals. In addition to that, ignoring the regulation of the most significant SO₂ polluters non-compliance pose serious threats to increasing air pollution and over all pollution related healthcare costs and premature deaths. Balancing the clean air and energy supply for the country will always remain a complex challenge, still the public health and environmental integrity cannot be the collateral harm for industrial efficiency.

Conclusion

CREA’s report shines the much overdue attention to the implementation gap in the coal emission norms for Maharashtra. Between the still recovering economy, the climate rationale, and clean air compliance bike Narendra Modi’s India, the use of active FGD’s and pollution control technologies is, not optional but imperative. These processes demand immediate stakeholder engagement, environmental accountability, and active governance to resolve implementation gaps.