In a major setback for Essar Power, the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) has ordered closure of the company’s Mahan I thermal power plant for not complying with environmental norms.
As of now, water and electricity supply to the 600 MW plant of the company stands suspended by an April 23 order of the pollution control board.
The Mahan I plant is a 1,200 MW (2×600 MW) captive coal-fired pit-head power plant located in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh. Mahan I unit I (600 MW) of the company synchronised and began commercial operations from April 29, 2013. The Mahan power project represents a $1.2-billion investment by Essar Power and is the company?s third coal-fired project to start commercial operations. Coal for the plant is secured from the Mahan captive coal block located approximately 5 km from the plant site.
Additionally, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has created more trouble for the company. On May 21, the green tribunal, acting on a plea filed by Supreme Court advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, had ordered that a team consisting of senior officials from the central and state pollution control boards shall report on the state of affairs in respect of the industrial pollutants at the site in question. The report from the committee will be submitted to the tribunal within a week.
When contacted, a company spokesperson said, ?As a responsible corporate citizen, we have shut our operations on our own before receiving any such communication from any competent authority.?
?The company has complied with the MPPCB directives and has completed the work at our ash pond,? the spokesperson told FE.
The company has also stated that the ?incident was result of sabotage act by some anti-social elements who damaged the ash pond, which resulted in ash spillage within our designated industrial ash pond land. ?There has been no damage to any community field or livestock/cattle or water bodies,? the spokesperson added.
On January 13, the MPPCB had ordered Essar Power to cease all its operations in the Mahan I unit. As per the order, the company had been directed to build a permanent ash dyke, install a continuous ambient air monitoring station, a sewage treatment plant and a tree plantation. Subsequently, on February 17, MPPCB had vacated its order after considering representations from the company.