Emission standards for thermal power plants: SC asks govt to file detailed affidavit

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to file a detailed affidavit on emission standards for thermal power plants after the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) said it has received comments from the Ministry of Power on the issue.

A bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta also sought the response of court-mandated Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) on a separate plea filed by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) seeking its nod to use a low sulphur content fuel.

During the brief hearing, Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the MoEF&CC, placed before the bench the comments received from the Ministry of Power on the EPCA report on emission standards for thermal power plants.

Advocate Aparajita Singh, who is assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, said that MoEF&CC should be asked to file an affidavit giving all the details since their earlier affidavit does not give the entire information as to by when the emission standards would be implemented.

Singh said that the ministry has said that the emission standards would be implemented by 2022 but they should explain and give details as to how it would be done.

"You file a proper affidavit," the bench told Nadkarni and posted the matter for further hearing in July.

The top court had earlier in December last year said that thermal power plants using furnace oil would have to switch over to alternate low polluting fuel within a year.

It had permitted the Centre to modify the notification banning use of pet coke and furnace oil in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana for industries like cement, lime stone and thermal power plants.

While cement and lime industries use pet coke, thermal power plants use furnace oil.

The order was passed after the Centre had said that the Central Pollution Control Board had issued a direction prohibiting the use of pet coke and furnace oil until further orders in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana.

The use of pet coke and furnace oil is already prohibited in Delhi.

The government had earlier this month informed the apex court that it was considering a nationwide ban on the use of pet coke by various industries and a decision is likely to be taken soon.

The court was hearing a PIL filed in 1985 by environmentalist M C Mehta who had raised the issue of air pollution in the Delhi-national capital region.