The use of coal as fuel in industrial, domestic units will be banned in the National Capital Region (NCR) from January 2023 but the ban wouldn’t apply thermal power plants — incidentally the largest users of coal, according to a notification Wednesday by the Commission for Air Quality Management, that coordinates air pollution norms in Delhi and adjoining States.
“Restrictions/ban on use of coal shall come in force from October 2022 (for regions where Piped Natural Gas) infrastructure and supply is already available and January 2023 (for other regions where the PNG supply is still not available). In full effect, use of coal as fuel shall be banned across NCR from 01.01.2023,” according to the notification.
Coal dominates industrial fuels in the NCR and current estimates indicate that approximately 1.7 million tonnes of coal is consumed annually for industrial applications in NCR, with about 1.4 million tonnes being consumed in six major industrial districts of NCR alone.
