Amid rising complaints of pollution caused by the coal-based power plants and the disposal of ash slurry, the Maharashtra Government, in a significant move, has decided to conduct a comprehensive study to determine how ageing and polluting coal-fired power plants in the state may be phased down in a systematic manner. State’s installed capacity of coal-based power projects by the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MahaGenco) is 10,170 mw of which some of the projects are old and need renovation or complete closure. MahaGenco’s power stations include - Chandrapur, Koradi, Khaperkheda, Nashik, Parli, Bhusawal and Paras.
Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Monday said, “An audit of all power plants in Maharashtra for pollution control measures will be done. The power plants that are not meeting prescribed standards will face decisive action. A mitigation plan will be developed for this.” He added that further details would be announced after the sanctioning process of the study was completed. Aaditya’s announcement is important when the state government has proposed to implement 17,000 MW of renewable power projects till 2025-26 and it aims to achieve 40 percent electricity generation from renewable energy sources by 2030.
Further, Aaditya made this announcement after visiting the recently shut down Nandgaon ash pond located near the Khaparkheda Thermal Power Station (KTPS) following strong opposition from locals and also after the union minister Nitin Gadkari asked MahaGenco to take punitive action against the violators of environmental norms. Besides, the Centre for Sustainable Development Leena Buddhe had demanded the closure of the Nandgaon ash pond citing major damage to the lands of the locals and also to the environment.
“After receiving multiple complaints especially from women of Nandgaon and taking action, I decided to take stock of the ground situation. I have directed Nandgaon ash pond to be restored to its original state within the next 15 days. Nandgaon & even the Waregaon ash bunds both will be permanently shut,” said Aaditya.
Aaditya’s announcement to conduct this study holds significance in light of announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Conference of Parties (COP26) at Glasgow setting a 2070 Net Zero goal for the country.
Climate Risk Horizons CEO Ashish Fernandes said, "It’s encouraging that Maharashtra is examining the issue of a coal phase down. Retrofitting old coal units at Koradi, Khaperkheda, Nasik and Chandrapur to control air and water pollution will cost thousands of crores and increase electricity costs. On the other hand, a planned phase-down and replacement with cheaper renewable energy and battery storage will reduce the cost of power, address the pollution and health issues residents are suffering from and create new employment opportunities."
