The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has urged the Delhi government not to shut down its coal-based Badarpur thermal power plant here, a week after being served a closure notice for being a contributor to air pollution.
In its reply, the NTPC has said that the functioning of the said plant, that "meets pollution norms", was essential to meet the capital's power needs, and that even the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) places demands for power to it, a senior Delhi government official said.
NTPC has also said that while it was earlier asked to switch to cleaner fuel like gas, it could not do so due to "unavailability" of the same.
On December 8, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee had served a notice to the NTPC to shut its Badarpur Plant by mid March in view of it exceeding the prescribed emission standards. It had also issued a notice to the city government managed Rajghat plant and had given them time till December 15 to reply.
While NTPC replied to the notice yesterday, the power department, which runs the Rajghat plant filed its reply today. "It (Rajghat plant) anyway works only during peak periods."
The government is yet to issue its final order on the matter.
The decision to shut the two power plants were part of a series of measures proposed by the government to combat the menace of rising air pollution in the city.
