Power Sector’s contribution to Delhi air pollution: need for urgent action

Environment Pollution (Control and Prevention) Authority for NCR

January 2016

The IIT-Kanpur report makes it clear that the coal-based power plants
operating in Delhi are major contributions to the pollution load in the city.

These coal-based plants contribute:

11 per cent of the PM 2.5 load

52 per cent of the Nox load
During summer months, coal and flyash contribute 26 per cent of PM 2.5
During winter months, secondary particles contribute 30 per cent of PM 2.5
(which come from vehicles and power plants)

NTPC Badarpur: a major contributor

National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Badarpur supplies a

relatively small share of Delhi’s power needs (7.9% during Apr-Oct 2015) but
it is important to Delhi’s grid since it is the main supplier to parts of South
Delhi. But, it has an outsized impact on Delhi’s air pollution. Of this pollution
load,NTPC Badarpur, working at only 44 per cent PLF and even assuming
that it is meeting all the stipulated pollution norms, contributes anywhere
between 80-90 per cent of the PM, SOx and NOx from the power sector in
Delhi.

The poor environment performance of Badarpuris partly on account of its old

age. NTPC Badarpur plant has undertaken two R&M programmes; however,
its energy efficiency is still below the average of Indian coal power plant fleet.
CERC has been forced to carve a lower efficiency standard for NTPC
Badarpur on account of its historical under-performance.

Not only is NTPC Badarpur has a high cost on public health, its power
produced is only expensive. This is partly the result of inefficient operations
and high coal transport cost. Even assuming that gas cost is $9 MMBTU –
which is the rate at which GAIL can supply gas, it will still cost Delhi Rs 5.5
per unit, as compared to Rs 6.04 it pays NTPC Badarpur for its power.

At the March 2015 meeting of theDelhi Power Procurement Group, the

distribution companies (Discoms) urged the state government to surrender
power from 3X95 MW units of NTPC Badarpur and Rajghat owing to their
high costs. In a meeting convened in November 2015 by the Power Secretary,
Delhi government, the Discoms strongly recommended permanently and
immediately shutting the Rajghat thermal plant and 3X95 MW units of NTPC
Badarpur. The Discoms said that during winter months the remaining 2X210
MW units of NTPC Badarpur could also be shut.

NTPC-Badarpur has a 680 ha ash disposal area within its over 874 ha plant
area. This has serious implications for air pollution, as shown in the IIT-
Kanpur report.

Given this situation, it is clear that it would be best to close NTPC-Badarpur

and to generate power from the cleaner gas based plants, which are situated
within Delhi.

Table 2:Specific emissions from Coal and gas fired power plants source
PM SOx NOx Ash CO2
kg/MWh kg/MWh kg/MWh (t/MWh) (t/MWh)
Coal fired power plants 1 8.5 4.9 0.23 1.08
Natural gas power plants 0.095 0.63 0.3 Nil 0.3-0.6