Guidelines for decommissioning coal-based power plants

Guidelines for decommissioning coal-based power plants

Subject – Environment

Context – India proposes guidelines for decommissioning coal-based power plants

Concept –

• The Central Pollution Control Board has prepared a set of guidelines for decommissioning of coal-based power plants, following an order of the National Green Tribunal.
• Coal-fired power plants are typically decommissioned after completion of their useful life, which varies generally from 30 to 45 years in India.
• The draft guidelines, which the NGT has asked the union environment ministry to finalise within the next six months, call for a comprehensive environmental management plan and environmental impact assessment report for decommissioning of such power plants.
• The proposed guidelines suggest a range of measures to deal with water and air issues, management of hazardous waste, ash, electronic waste, construction waste, toxic metals, asbestos, closures and capping of ash ponds and ash impoundments, removal and disposal of chemicals and monitoring after the decommissioning process.
• The guidelines suggest a range of measures including an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the decommissioning process.
• The guidelines noted that the decommissioning process should follow various Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1981 and the Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016 (HWM Rules 2016), Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016, and the rules regarding management and utilisation of ash.