All Thermal Power Plants are required to comply with the emission norms as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and directions given by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) from time to time. The Ministry of Power has issued a press release dated 27th July, 2023 on compliance to emission norms.
For compliance to Sulphur dioxide (SO2) emission norms, Thermal Power Plants are installing Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) equipment. MoEF&CC has specified following timelines for SO2 compliance for non-retiring Thermal Power Plants for compliance to emission norms:
| Sl. No. | Category | Location/Area | Timelines for compliance |
| 1 | Category A | Within 10 km radius of National Capital Region (NCR) or cities having million plus population (as per 2011 census of India) | Upto 31st December 2024 |
| 2 | Category B | Within 10 km radius of Critically Polluted Areas or Non-attainment cities (as defined by CPCB) | Upto 31st December 2025 |
| 3 | Category C | Other than those included in category A and B | Upto 31st December 2026 |
For non-compliance beyond the specified timelines, MoEF&CC has prescribed environment compensation on the non-retiring thermal power plants.
At present, 22 units having a total capacity of 9280 MW have installed and operationalized FGDs in their facility.
