Currently, Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) is being installed in 537 units in Coal based Thermal Power Plants across the country. The current status of installation of FGD equipment in Thermal Power Plants across the country is given below:
| FGD status | No. of units with Capacity |
| FGD installed | 39 nos. (19,430 MW) |
| Contract awarded / under implementation | 238 nos. (1,05,200 MW) |
| Under Various stages of tendering process | 139 nos. (42,847 MW) |
| In pre-tendering process | 121 nos. (36,683 MW) |
The details of the number of thermal power plants (TPPs) that have completed FGD installation(category-wise) are given below:
| Category | Completed FGD Installation (Units & Capacity) |
| A | 11 nos. (4,390 MW) |
| B | 2 nos. (1,160 MW) |
| C | 26 nos. (13,880 MW) |
| Total | 39 nos. (19,430 MW) |
Some thermal power plants have faced delays in installation of FGD. Major issues/challenges being faced during the implementation of FGD system in thermal power plants are as below:
- FGD technology being new to our country, at present there are limited vendors with limited capacity to supply and install FGD components. Vendors’ capacity for FGD installation is about 16-20 GW (33 to 39 units) in the country and time taken for installation is about 44 to 48 months. A sudden surge of demand has arisen, as all thermal generating units are to comply with SO2 emission norms within a short period which created huge gap between demand and supply of FGD equipment.
- India had manufacturing capability of 70% FGD components which has now increased to 80% with the passage of time. However, it still depends on the imports from other countries. Further, a huge foreign exchange for importing technology, equipment and skilled manpower from other countries is also required.
iii. The installation of FGD systems has also faced difficulties in terms of conceptualization, design challenges etc. Standardization could not be done as different sites have different requirements like space constraints, lay-out and orientation etc.
To address the above issues, vendors have been encouraged to enhance their capacity and to maximize the indigenous production of all FGD parts in order to reduce the import dependence.
As per MoEF&CC Notification dated 05.09.2022, the time limits for implementation of the SO2 emission norms by category A, B and C (based on plant’s location) coal-fired thermal power plants are December 2024, December 2025 and December 2026 respectively. The coal-fired thermal power plants are required to comply with the SO2 emission norms within these stipulated timelines, failing which environmental compensation for non-compliance with SO2 emission norms shall be imposed on the thermal power plants accordingly.
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