Six coal-based thermal power plants in Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas were found non-compliant with mandatory biomass co-firing targets for 2024-25 and recommended for environmental compensation, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) told the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
In its reply filed before the NGT on October 6, the CPCB said a committee constituted by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) reviewed the performance of 11 thermal power plants and identified six as non-compliant with the prescribed biomass co-firing requirements. The committee subsequently recommended environmental compensation for all six plants under the Environment (Utilisation of Crop Residue by Thermal Power Plants) Rules, 2023.
The reply accessed by Hindustan Times filed in the appeal brought by Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Station, Hisar and Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant, Yamunanagar operated by Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL), supports the regulatory process that led to CAQM issuing an environmental compensation order against the Haryana plant on April 1, 2026. The power station has challenged the order before the tribunal.
According to the CPCB, the committee comprising representatives of CAQM, the Central Electricity Authority, the ministry of power’s SAMARTH initiative and CPCB, held meetings on June 13, July 31 and August 26, 2025, and January 19 and March 20, 2026, besides conducting a personal hearing on September 22, 2025.
{{/usCountry}}According to the CPCB, the committee comprising representatives of CAQM, the Central Electricity Authority, the ministry of power’s SAMARTH initiative and CPCB, held meetings on June 13, July 31 and August 26, 2025, and January 19 and March 20, 2026, besides conducting a personal hearing on September 22, 2025.
{{/usCountry}}According to the reply the six plants were given personal hearings, and their written and oral submissions, along with relevant data, were examined.
However, the committee concluded that the representations and explanations submitted by the six plants were insufficient to establish that their non-compliance resulted from circumstances beyond their control. It consequently recommended environmental compensation based on the prescribed methodology and rates notified under the 2023 rules.
It is worth mentioning here that Haryana’s three thermal power plants of Hisar, Yamunanagar and Panipat were among six thermal power plants in Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas found non-compliant with mandatory biomass co-firing targets for 2024-25, prompting the CAQM to order a combined penalty of around ₹61.9 crore on six thermal power plants for failing to meet mandatory biomass co-firing targets during 2024-25.
The Environment (Utilisation of Crop Residue by Thermal Power Plants) Rules, 2023, notified by the Union environment ministry on July 11, 2023, require coal-based thermal power plants located in the national capital region and adjoining areas to use a minimum 5% blend of pellets or briquettes made from crop residue along with coal.
The rules empower CAQM to impose and collect environmental compensation annually for non-compliance. They also permit the commission to grant case-specific relaxation, in consultation with the Central Electricity Authority and CPCB, where plants face difficulties arising from circumstances beyond their control.
The biomass co-firing requirement is intended to create an additional avenue for utilising agricultural residue, including paddy straw, which is otherwise frequently burnt in fields after harvesting. The policy is also aimed at reducing air pollution associated with crop-residue burning in the region.
The tribunal’s final decision on the Haryana power station’s appeal will determine the outcome of its challenge to the compensation order.