What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
NEW DELHI: In a major decision that could impact the air quality of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued an order to ban the use of coal for industrial, domestic and other miscellaneous purposes. The ban will be in effect from January 1, 2023.
However, the use of low-sulphur coal in thermal power plants has been exempted from the ban.
“NCR state governments and the government of NCT of Delhi have been accordingly advised for phasing out coal from NCR vide communication dated 03.06.2022. The aforesaid restrictions/ban on the use of coal shall come in force w.e.f. 01.10.2022 (for regions where PNG infrastructure and supply is already available) and w.e.f. 01.01.2023 (for other regions where the PNG supply is still not available). In full effect, the use of coal as fuel shall be banned across NCR w.e.f. 01.01.2023,” the Panel said.
In April, India faced a serious coal crisis making it to global headlines. More than 70 per cent of the country’s power usage comes from Coal.
In May, national capital faced a peak electricity demand of 6,780 (megawatts) MW whereas, in April, India recorded a demand of 201.06 gigawatts (GW).
Before penning down the decision, suggestions were invited from the general public as well as the experts in the field. An Expert Group strongly recommended “phasing out usage of heavily polluting fossil fuels like coal and mandating cleaner fuels, to the extent possible.”
Coal dominates industrial fuels in the NCR which amounts to 1.7 million tonnes of coal being consumed annually for industrial applications in NCR, with about 1.4 million tonnes being consumed in six major industrial districts of NCR alone.
