India’s thermal power sector advances emission control

Highlights from the 4th Power Gen Environment Excellence Summit 2025. CSIR-NEERI Director Dr. S. Venkata Mohan urges focus on fly-ash utilisation, carbon capture and decarbonisation strategies to reshape the thermal power sector.

National Power-Gen Environment Excellence Awards 2025 recognise top performers like NTPC, Mahagenco, Jindal Power and JSW across sustainability categories.

Ghanashyam Parida from Welspun Captive Power Generation and Nitin Wagh from Mahagenco win ‘Leader of the Year’ awards for pioneering sustainable initiatives in private and public sector power plants.

India’s thermal power plants remain a cornerstone of the nation’s electricity generation with coal-based facilities forming the dominant share. As of March 2024, India’s thermal installed capacity stood at 243.21 GW of which 210.96 GW came from coal-based power. The country currently operates 271 thermal power plants (as of 2023).

To mitigate the environmental impact of these coal-dependent plants the adoption of Air Quality Control Systems (AQCS) has become imperative. Technologies such as Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) are being implemented to reduce sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NOₓ) emissions respectively.

Delving into these critical developments was the recently concluded 4th Power Gen Environment Excellence Summit 2025 held in Nagpur on June 20–21. Organised by the Council of Enviro Excellence, the summit blended a workshop and technical presentations with the 4th National Power-Gen Environment Excellence Awards 2025, recognising excellence in emission control initiatives across India’s thermal power landscape. The event was supported by Powering Partner Forbes Marshall.

The summit was graced by the presence of Chief Guest Dr. S. Venkata Mohan, Director, CSIR-NEERI, who shared insights into NEERI’s policy-shaping initiatives. He emphasised fly-ash management and the role of decarbonisation in reshaping the thermal power sector. “NEERI has been working on these areas for more than five years. The focus is on climate change, carbon capture as well as a bamboo plantation. We are trying to reduce concerns around fly-ash and CO₂ emissions,” said Dr. Mohan. He further noted the implications of decarbonisation on investment across related sectors, and commended the Council of Enviro Excellence for initiating such a vital platform. 

Workshop insights

The summit opened on day one with a focused 3-hour workshop led by Ajay Vajpeyi, Head COE, GE Power, and Hiren Nariyelwala, Sales Manager, GE Power. They focused on wet limestone-based FGD and lime-based semi-dry FGD technologies for SO₂ capture. “The primary parameter to measure the power consumption is the L/G (liquid-to-gas ratio), and high SO₂ capture ensures good mass transfer. This directly impacts recycle pumps, power, and other systems,” explained Vajpeyi, detailing the interlinkages between capture efficiency and operational optimisation.

The workshop covered FGD technology advancements, third-generation unit designs, and materials of construction for FGD sub-systems.

Expert-led technical presentations

The second day began with the ceremonial lamp lighting by key dignitaries from the AQCS ecosystem, including: Samir Bhandarkar, Divisional Head – CEMS Air Pollution Monitoring, Forbes Marshall; Amrit Halder, AVP – Process & Proposal, ISGEC; Ajay Vajpeyi, Head COE, GE Power India; K. Rajavel, Corporate Adviser – AQCS, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; Pradeep Kumar Sharma, Sr. Manager – S&CE, BHEL; and Sultan Mansoori, Plant Head, Jindal Power Simhapuri Energy.

Amrit Halder’s presentation focused on SO₂ control options suitable for Indian conditions. He discussed regulatory drivers and technology fitment for Indian thermal plants.

K Rajavel addressed the challenges and current scenario, stating: “MHI has enough experience to comply with stringent requirements in Japan, and MHI can supply reliable technologies to meet Indian regulations.” He outlined AQCS solutions such as DeSOx, DeNOx, ESP augmentation, zero liquid discharge, heat recovery systems, SCR, and compact greenfield applications.

Pradeep Kumar Sharma offered insights into the FGD and Wet Stack Phenomenon, explaining environmental and technological aspects: “The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released notifications making environmental norms more stringent for thermal power plants which emit various pollutants through exhaust flue gas into the atmosphere.”

Ajay Vajpeyi continued the discussion with his talk on “Capturing SO₂ from Thermal Power Plants – A Necessity or a Choice.” 

Samir Bhandarkar of Forbes Marshall presented on the theme “Emission Control: Can’t Manage What We Don’t Measure”, highlighting major pollutants such as dust, SO₂, NOₓ, and CO₂, and the role of boiler combustion analytics, emission monitoring, and gas analyser technologies in building robust control systems. His session underlined why Forbes Marshall remains a leader in emissions monitoring solutions across India’s power sector.

Recognising excellence

The two-day summit concluded with the much-anticipated National Power-Gen Environment Excellence Awards 2025, where 35 awards were presented to thermal power plants and individual experts across diverse categories. These awards celebrated commitment, innovation, and implementation excellence in reducing environmental impact from thermal generation.

Best Environment Excellence – Leader of the Year in the Private Sector was honoured to Ghanashyam Parida from Welspun Captive Power Generation, and Best Environment Excellence – Leader of the Year Public Sector was honoured to Nitin Wagh from Mahagenco.

Awardees for Best Environment Excellence plant of the year in the public sector was awarded to:

Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC Ltd for Sustainable Performance

Sipat Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC Ltd for Sustainable Operations

Koradi Thermal Power Station of Mahagenco for Sustainable Practices

Khaparkheda Thermal Power Station of Mahagenco for New initiatives

Nashik Thermal Power Station of Mahagenco for Operational Excellence 

Awardees for Best Environment Excellence plant of the year in the private sector was awarded to:

Jindal Power Ltd Tamnar for Sustainable Performance

Renusagar Power Division of Hindalco Industries Ltd for Sustainable Operations

Simhapuri Thermal Power Plant of Jindal Power Ltd for Sustainable Practices

This plus, the winner for Best Environment Excellence in Independent Power Producer Lignite Plant of the Year Category was awarded to JSW Energy (Barmer) Ltd.

Jojobera Power Plant of Tata Power Company Ltd was awarded Best Environment Excellence in Coal Captive Power Plant of the Year; Uran Combined Cycle Thermal Power Plant of Mahagenco for Best Environment Excellence in WHR Plant of the Year; and The Singareni Collieries Company Ltd for Best Envinroment Excellence – Team of the Year in Public Sector.

Awards were further announced under various categories including:

Best Environment Excellence in Independent Power Producer Coal – Unit below 250 MW category awarded to:

Winners: Kolaghat Thermal Power Station of West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd; and Simhapuri Thermal Power Plant of Jindal Power Ltd.

 Best Environment Excellence in Independent Power Producer Coal – Unit below 250 – 500 MW category awarded to:

Winners: Dhariwal Infrastructure Ltd; Bokaro Thermal Power Station of Damodar Valley Corporation; and Paras Thermal Power Station of Mahagenco.

Best Environment Excellence in Independent Power Producer Coal – Unit below 500-660 MW category awarded to:

Winners: Jhajjar Power Ltd (Apraava Energy); Khargone Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC Ltd; DB Power Ltd; Bhusawal Thermal Power Station of Mahagenco; Ukai Thermal Power Station of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd; and Rihand Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC Ltd.    

Best Environment Excellence in Captive Power Plant Coal – Unit below 50 MW category awarded to:

Winner: Grasim Industries Ltd, Chemical Division CPP – Indian Rayon – Veraval

Best Environment Excellence in Captive Power Plant Coal – Unit below 50 – 135 MW category awarded to:

Winners: Vedanta Ltd – Lanjigarh; Welspun Captive Power Generation Ltd; Welspun Captive Power Generation Ltd; Durgapur Captive Power Plant of NTPC-SAIL Power Company Ltd; Sewagram Cement Works of UltraTech Cement Ltd; and JSW Steel Ltd – Raigarh

Best Environmental Excellence FGD Unit of the Year awarded to:

Winners: Solapur Super Thermal Power Station of NTPC Ltd; Bokaro Thermal Power Station of Damodar Valley Corporation; Khaparkheda Thermal Power Station of Mahagenco; and Koradi Thermal Power Station of Mahagenco.  

The awards served not just as recognition, but as a powerful reminder of the industry’s collective responsibility and ability to innovate. As environmental regulations grow more stringent and expectations rise, events like the Power Gen Environment Excellence Summit will continue to drive the collaboration, technology adoption, and forward-thinking strategies needed to build a cleaner, more resilient power sector for India.