The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has found six thermal power plants (TPPs) within 300km of Delhi to be non-compliant with the use of biomass pellets/briquettes as co-firing fuel in 2024-25. The plants, located in Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, have been issued show cause notices and face environmental compensation (EC) worth Rs 61.8 crore. The CAQM has stated that the biomass co-firing levels at these plants were well below the mandated thresholds.
The maximum EC of Rs 33 crore has been proposed for Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd in Punjab, while the Guru Hargobind Thermal Power Plant in Bathinda, Punjab, faces an EC of nearly Rs 4.9 crore. The three plants in Haryana – Panipat Thermal Power Station, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Station, and Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant – face ECs of Rs 8.9 crore, Rs 6.7 crore, and Rs 5.5 crore respectively. The Harduaganj Thermal Power Station in Uttar Pradesh has been proposed an EC of Rs 2.7 crore.
The Environment (Utilisation of Crop Residue by Thermal Power Plants) Rules, 2023, mandate all coal-based TPPs to use a minimum 5% blend of biomass pellets or briquettes made of crop residue along with coal, with a minimum threshold of more than 3% co-firing to avoid imposition of environmental compensation. The CAQM has been issuing statutory directions about the use of biomass pellets/briquettes since 2021 and has intensively reviewed compliance, observing a major lag.
In early 2024, the CAQM issued notices under the CAQM Act-2021 to plants whose performance remained consistently poor. A committee was constituted to examine the representations of non-compliant TPPs, and the plants have been directed to submit written explanations to the show cause notices. Failure to do so will result in further action being initiated. The CAQM’s move aims to promote the management of paddy straw, reduce stubble burning, and mitigate air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) and adjoining areas.