India’s federal pollution regulator has warned 14 coal-fired power plants that they could be shut down and penalized for failing to comply with environmental standards, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.
The power plants, nine of which are around India’s polluted capital, New Delhi and five of which are in south Indian states, account for over 7% of India’s coal-fired utility capacity.
Shutting the plants could further dent India’s thermal coal imports, which fell for three straight months between August and October, according to the latest Indian government data.
India is the world’s second largest thermal coal importer behind China, and is a large export market for coal miners in Indonesia, South Africa and the United States.
