Q. With reference to sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, consider the following statements;
1.India is the top SO2 emitter in the world.
2.Flue-gas desulfurization(FGD) is mandatory for all coal-fired power plants in India from 2008.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is correct: India continues to occupy the top spot among SO2 emitters. In 2019, India emitted 21% of global anthropogenic (human-made) SO2 emissions nearly double that of the second-ranked global emitter, Russia.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Ministry of Power (MoP) has extended the deadline for coal-fired power plants to install Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) to cut sulphur emissions by two years.
India had initially set a 2017 deadline for thermal power plants to install FGD units to cut Sulphur emissions.
The deadline was later changed to varying deadlines for different regions, ending in 2022, and further extended last year to a period ending in 2025.
Now, the power plants will be forcibly retired if they do not comply with norms on sulphur emissions by end-2027.
Plants near populous regions and the capital New Delhi will have to pay penalties to operate from end-2024, while utilities in less polluting areas will be penalized after end-2026.
Source: Indian Express
