On December 26, 2022, the Indian Air Quality Management Commission (CAQM) issued a directive on the comprehensive prohibition of the use, supply, sale and trading of coal in the NCR region of Delhi (the capital municipality of Delhi), which stipulated that the directive would be formally implemented from January 1, 2023. In this regard, the NCR Regional Paper Association began to take positive action and hoped that the CAQM would amend the previous notice to allow the NCR regional paper mills to use low-sulfur coal in their own thermal power plants.

In response, Mr. Arvind Agarwal, president of the Association and head of Paswara Papers Paper Plant in India, said: “On this issue, we hope that CAQM will fully consider the current situation of the paper plant and allow the self-provided thermal power plants under the paper plant to use low-sulfur coal. Of course, we will also strictly comply with the emission standards and orders applicable to thermal power plants in the process of use.

In the document submitted to CAQM, the Association earnestly requested to issue the necessary clarification, stating that from January 1, 2023, the self-owned thermal power plants in the whole NCR region are allowed to use low-sulfur coal, and the low-sulfur coal is not included in the mandatory prohibition scope, otherwise the paper plants in the NCR region will fall into the energy and survival crisis.

Mr. Agarwal said that there were about 40 self-owned power plants in the paper mills located in the NCR region. If CAQM made a little clarification in its instructions, it could help the paper mills get rid of this survival crisis.

In order to curb the air pollution in the NCR region of Delhi, CAQM has repeatedly stressed that the use of heavily polluting fossil fuels, including coal, will be completely banned in the entire NCR region from January 1, 2023, which will undoubtedly have a negative impact on many energy-dependent enterprises, including paper-making. Therefore, many associations, including paper-making, have submitted documents and hope that the government can flexibly handle the implementation of the coal ban, Low-sulfur coal is allowed to be used in self-owned power plants and other facilities with low pollution.