New Delhi, Nov 18: The Delhi government has requested the Northern Zonal Council (NZC) to remove from its agenda the matter of exemptions granted to 11 coal-based thermal power plants operating within the National Capital Region (NCR), citing actions already taken by central authorities.
In a communication dated November 13, Delhi noted that the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) have implemented necessary measures to regulate emissions from these plants. “Thermal power plants with operational flue gas desulfurisation systems may continue to operate, and the Council may review the functioning of remaining units,” the Delhi government stated.
The issue, originally sponsored by the previous AAP-led government, was discussed at the Council’s standing committee meeting on October 25, 2024, in Chandigarh. A report by IIT Kanpur, Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases in Delhi (2016), had identified these plants as significant contributors of PM10, PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, all major pollutants impacting Delhi’s air quality.
“There are a total of 11 coal-based thermal power plants within a 300-kilometre radius of Delhi. These are acknowledged to be major contributors of particulate matter and gaseous pollutants,” the agenda note had mentioned.
However, the BJP-led Delhi government now contends that regulatory mechanisms have been put in place, making further discussion unnecessary. During the standing committee meeting, the Additional Chief Secretary of Delhi highlighted that the city has already shut down all coal-based plants within its jurisdiction, while the neighbouring plants continue to operate under exemptions.
A Supreme Court bench led by Justice Abhay S Oka had on April 2, 2025, expressed concern about compliance with sulphur dioxide emission standards, noting partial compliance at some plants. “Out of the 11 units, the plants at Dadri NCTPP, NTPC, Uttar Pradesh, and Mahatma Gandhi TPS, Jhajjar, Haryana, are in compliance. Partial compliance is observed at Indira Gandhi STPP, NTPC, Haryana, and Harduaganj TPS, UPRVUNL, Uttar Pradesh,” the bench said.
The MoEFCC, citing Central Pollution Control Board reports on August 12, 2025, stated that all 11 plants largely comply with particulate matter, nitrogen oxide, and mercury emission norms. The ministry added that sulphur dioxide standards must be met by December 31, 2027, for plants within 10 km of Delhi or cities with over one million residents, while other categories are exempt.
CAQM had in 2022 approved a list of fuels for the NCR, permitting only clean fuels such as natural gas and biofuels for industries, while allowing coal-based plants to use low-sulphur coal. Thermal power and captive plants are also required to co-fire 5–10% biomass pellets alongside coal.
“The Union government and CAQM should review the exemption granted to thermal power plants in the NCR,” the Delhi government’s agenda note for the 2024 standing committee meeting had stated.
