India extended a deadline for coal-fired power plants to install equipment to cut sulphur emissions by two years, the government said in a notification on Tuesday, marking the third push back on a commitment to clean up dirty air.
Indian cities have some of the world’s most polluted air. Thermal utilities, which produce 75% of the country’s power, account for some 80% of industrial emissions of sulphur and nitrous-oxides, which cause lung diseases, acid rain and smog.
India had initially set a 2017 deadline for thermal power plants to install flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) units to cut sulphur emissions. That was later changed to varying deadlines for different regions, ending in 2022, and further extended last year to a period ending 2025.
