J-13012/95/2008-IA.II
(T)
Government
of India
Ministry
of Environment & Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan
New
Delhi-110 003
Dated: December 27th,
2010.
To
M/s
NTPC Ltd.
Engineering
Office Complex
Plot
No. A-8A, Sector- 24
Noida – 201 301.
Sub: 2x660 MW Super-critical Technology
Coal Based Solapur Thermal Power Plant at villages Fatatewadi & Ahirwadi, in
South Solapur Taluk, in Solapur Distt., in Maharashtra -
reg. Environmental Clearance.
Sir,
The undersigned is directed to refer
to your letter no.
2. It has
been noted that the proposal is for setting up of 2x660 MW Super-Critical
Technology Coal Based Solapur Thermal Power Plant at Villages
Fatatewadi & Ahirwadi,
in South Solapur Taluk, in Solapur Distt., in Maharashtra. No
diversion of forest land is involved. R&R will be involved. There will be
about 500 land oustees, 70 homestead oustees and 40 landless labourers
affected by the project. The co-ordinates of the plant site are: Latitude
17º32’10.9” N to 17º33’38.18” N and Longitude 75º58’42” E to 75º59’36” E. It is
noted that the above project is under the bulk tendering programme to augment
the power equipment manufacturing capacity in the country through energy
efficient super critical technology with the purpose to have built-in phased manufacturing
programme. Coal requirement will be 7.5 MTPA. Letter of assurance for supply of
required coal from M/s Mahanadi Coalfields Limited has been obtained vide their
letter dated 11.12.2010. It is also noted that M/s Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. vide
letter no. MCL/SBP/S&M/DT (OP)/2010/3041 dated 7.12.2010 addressed to M/s
NTPC Ltd have mentioned that the coal will be supplied from the operating mines
of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited. Ash content in coal will be maximum 34% and Sulphur content 0.5 % (maximum). High Concentration Slurry
Disposal system will be adopted for fly ash and wet slurry disposal system will
be adopted for bottom ash. Quantity of Fly ash and bottom ash to be generated
will be 6400 TPD and 1600 TPD respectively. Water requirement shall be restricted
to 4000 cum/hr, and will be obtained from Ujani
reservoir through pipeline over a distance of 110 km. Water allocation has been
obtained from the State Govt. Madhok Sanctuary is
located at about 5 km distance from the plant boundary.
3.
The project has been considered in
accordance with the provisions of the EIA notification issued by the Ministry
of Environment & Forests vide S.O. 1533 (E), dated September 14, 2006.
4.
Based on the information submitted by
you, as at Para 2 above and others, the Ministry of Environment and Forests
hereby accords environmental clearance to the above project under the
provisions of EIA Notification dated September 14, 2006, subject to the
compliance of the following Specific and General conditions:
A.
Specific Conditions:
(i)
Environmental clearance is subject to obtaining
clearance under the wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 from the National Board for
Wildlife. Further, grant of environmental clearance does not necessarily implies that wildlife clearance shall be granted to the
project and the proposal shall be considered by the National Board for Wildlife
on merits. The investment made in the
project, if any, based on environmental clearance so granted, in anticipation
of clearance from the wildlife angle shall be entirely at the cost and the risk
of the company and Ministry of Environment and Forests in this regard shall not
be responsible in any manner.
(ii)
Environmental clearance is subject to final order
of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the matter
of Goa Foundation Vs. Union of India in Writ petition
(Civil) no.460 of 2004, as may be applicable to this project.
(iii)
Primary survey of flora and fauna in
the study area shall be carried out and report submitted to the Ministry within
six months.
(iv)
A wildlife conservation plan shall be
prepared in consultation with the Office of the Chief Wildlife concerned and
reputed wildlife expert / institute and submitted to the ministry within six
months along with a road map for implementation. The plan shall specify
budget earmarked for activities to be undertaken. The conservation plan shall
be implemented prior to the commissioning of the power plant and the status of
implementation shall be submitted to the Regional Office of the Ministry from
time to time.
(v)
Land requirement shall be restricted
to 1100 acres (including ash pond).
(vi)
Provision for installation of FGD
shall be provided for future use.
(vii) High
Efficiency Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs) shall be installed to ensure that particulate
emission does not exceed 50 mg/Nm3. Adequate dust extraction system such as cyclones/ bag filters and water
spray system in dusty areas such as in coal handling and ash handling points,
transfer areas and other vulnerable dusty areas shall be provided.
(viii)
Sulphur and ash contents in the coal to be used in the project
shall not exceed 0.5 % and 34 % respectively at any given time. In case of variation of coal quality at any
point of time fresh reference shall be made to MoEF
for suitable amendments to environmental clearance condition wherever
necessary.
(ix)
Stack of 275 m height shall be
installed and provided with continuous online monitoring equipments for SOx, NOx
and Particulate Matter. Exit velocity of
flue gases shall not be less than 22 m/sec. Mercury emissions from stack may
also monitored on periodic basis.
(x)
Existing de-generated water bodies
(if any) in the study area shall be regenerated at the project proponent’s
expenses in consultation with the state Govt.
(xi)
Detailed hydro-geological study shall
be conducted (including sustainability of water source study) shall be carried
out by an institute of repute and report submitted to the Regional Office (RO)
of the ministry. Further hydro-geological study shall be reviewed annually from
an institute/ organization of repute to assess impact of surface water and
ground regime (especially around ash dyke). In case and deterioration is
observed specific mitigation measures shall be undertaken and reports/ data of
water quality monitored regularly and maintained shall be submitted to the RO
of the Ministry.
(xii)
Source of water for meeting the
requirement during lean season shall be specified and submitted to the Regional
Office of the Ministry within three
months.
(xiii) No ground water shall be extracted for use in operation of
the power plant even in lean season.
(xiv) No water bodies (including natural drainage system) in the
area shall be disturbed due to activities associated with the setting up /
operation of the power plant.
(xv)
Minimum required environmental flow
suggested by the Competent Authority of the State Govt. shall be maintained in
the Channel/ Rivers (as applicable) even in lean season.
(xvi)
(xvii) Additional soil for leveling of the proposed site shall be
generated within the sites (to the extent possible) so that natural drainage
system of the area is protected and improved.
(xviii)
Utilisation of 100%
Fly Ash generated shall be made from 4th year of operation.
Status of implementation shall be reported to the Regional Office of the
Ministry from time to time.
(xix)
Fly ash shall be collected in dry form and storage
facility (silos) shall be provided.
Unutilized fly ash shall be disposed off in the ash pond in the form of
slurry form. Mercury and other heavy metals (As,Hg, Cr, Pb
etc.) will be monitored in the bottom ash as also in the effluents emanating
from the existing ash pond. No ash shall be disposed off in low lying area.
(xx)
Ash pond
shall be lined with HDP/LDPE lining or any other suitable impermeable media
such that no leachate takes place at any point of
time. Adequate safety measures shall also be implemented to protect the ash
dyke from getting breached.
(xxi)
Disposal
of Bottom Ash in abandoned mines (if proposed to be undertaken) shall be
carried out only after obtaining permission from DGMS and it shall be ensured
that the bottom and sides of the mined
out areas are adequately lined with clay before Bottom Ash is filled up. The
project proponent shall inform the State Pollution Control Board well in
advance before undertaking the activity.
(xxii)
Green Belt consisting of 3 tiers of
plantations of native species around plant and at least 100 m width shall be
raised. Wherever 100 m width is not feasible a 50 m width shall be raised and
adequate justification shall be submitted to the Ministry. Tree
density shall not less than 2500 per ha with survival rate not less than 75 %.
(xxiii)
The
project proponent shall also adequately contribute in the development of the neighbouring villages. Special package with implementation
schedule for providing fluoride free potable drinking water supply in the near
by villages and schools shall be undertaken in a time bound manner.
(xxiv) Further an amount of Rs 42.0 Crores shall be earmarked as
one time capital cost for CSR programme as committed by the project proponent.
Subsequently a recurring expenditure of Rs 8.40 Crores per annum till the
operation of plant shall be earmarked as recurring expenditure for CSR
activities. Details of the activities to be undertaken shall be submitted within six month along with
road map for implementation.
(xxv) While identifying CSR activities it shall be ensured that
need based assessment for the nearby villages within study area shall be
conducted to study economic measures with action plan which can help in upliftment of poor section of society. Income generating
projects consistent with the traditional skills of the people shall be
undertaken. Special scheme for Bidi workers of Solapur shall be
formulated. Development of fodder farm, fruit bearing orchards,
vocational training etc. can form a part of such programme. Company shall
provide separate budget for community development activities and income
generating programmes. Vocational training programme for possible self
employment and jobs shall be imparted to identified
villagers free of cost.
(xxvi) It shall be ensured that in-built monitoring mechanism for
the schemes identified is in place and annual social audit shall be got done
from the nearest government institute of repute in the region. The project
proponent shall also submit the status of implementation of the scheme from
time to time
B.
General Conditions:
(i)
A well designed rainwater harvesting shall be put in place before
commissioning of the plant. Central
Groundwater Authority/ Board shall be consulted for finalization of appropriate
rainwater harvesting technology/design within a period of three months from the date of this clearance and
details shall be furnished.
(ii)
Adequate
safety measures shall be provided in the plant area to check/minimize
spontaneous fires in coal yard, especially during summer season. Copy of these
measures with full details along with location plant layout shall be submitted
to the Ministry as well as to the Regional Office of the Ministry.
(iii)
Storage
facilities for auxiliary liquid fuel such as LDO and/ HFO/LSHS shall be made in
the plant area in consultation with Department of Explosives, Nagpur. Sulphur content in the liquid fuel will not exceed
0.5%. Disaster Management Plan shall be
prepared to meet any eventuality in case of an accident taking place due to
storage of oil.
(iv)
Regular monitoring of ground water
level shall be carried out by establishing a network of existing wells and
constructing new piezometers. Monitoring around the ash pond
area shall be carried out particularly
for heavy metals (Hg,Cr,As,Pb)
and
records maintained and submitted to the Regional Office of this Ministry. The
data so obtained should be compared with the baseline data so as to ensure that
the ground water quality is not adversely affected due to the project.
(v)
Monitoring surface water quantity and
quality shall also be regularly conducted and records maintained. The monitored
data shall be submitted to the Ministry regularly. Further, monitoring points
shall be located between the plant and drainage in the direction of flow of
ground water and records maintained. Monitoring for heavy metals in ground
water shall be undertaken.
(vi)
First Aid and sanitation arrangements shall be made for the drivers and
other contract workers during construction phase.
(vii)
Noise levels emanating from turbines shall be so controlled such that the
noise in the work zone shall be limited to 75 dBA.
For people working in the high noise area, requisite personal protective
equipment like earplugs/ear muffs etc. shall be provided. Workers engaged in
noisy areas such as turbine area, air compressors etc shall be periodically
examined to maintain audiometric record and for treatment for any hearing loss
including shifting to non noisy/less noisy areas.
(viii) Regular monitoring of ambient
air ground level concentration of SO2, NOx,
PM2.5 & PM10 and Hg shall be carried out in the
impact zone and records maintained. If
at any stage these levels are found to exceed the prescribed limits, necessary
control measures shall be provided immediately. The location of the monitoring
stations and frequency of monitoring shall be decided in consultation with
SPCB. Periodic reports shall be submitted to the Regional Office of this
Ministry. The data shall also be put on the
website of the company.
(ix)
Provision shall be made for the housing of construction labour (as applicable) within the site with all necessary
infrastructure and facilities such as fuel for cooking, mobile toilets, mobile
STP, safe drinking water, medical health care, crèche etc. The housing may be in the form of temporary
structures to be removed after the completion of the project.
(x)
The project proponent shall advertise in at least two local newspapers
widely circulated in the region around the project, one of which shall be in
the vernacular language of the locality concerned within seven days from the
date of this clearance letter, informing that the project has been accorded
environmental clearance and copies of clearance letter are available with the
State Pollution Control Board/Committee and may also be seen at Website of the
Ministry of Environment and Forests at http://envfor.nic.in.
(xi)
A copy of the
clearance letter shall be sent by the proponent to concerned Panchayat, Zila Parisad / Municipal Corporation, urban local Body and the
Local NGO, if any, from whom suggestions/representations, if any, received
while processing the proposal. The clearance letter shall also be put on the
website of the Company by the proponent.
(xii)
An Environmental Cell shall be
created at the project site itself and shall be headed by an officer of
appropriate seniority and qualification. It shall be ensured that the head of
the Cell shall directly report to the head of the organization.
(xiii)
The proponent
shall upload the status of compliance of the stipulated environmental clearance
conditions, including results of monitored data on their website and shall
update the same periodically. It shall simultaneously be sent to the Regional
Office of MOEF, the respective Zonal Office of CPCB
and the SPCB. The criteria pollutant levels namely; SPM, RSPM (PM2.5
& PM10), SO2, NOx
(ambient levels as well as stack emissions) shall be displayed at a convenient
location near the main gate of the company in the public domain.
(xiv)
The environment
statement for each financial year ending 31st March in Form-V as is
mandated to be submitted by the project proponent to the concerned State
Pollution Control Board as prescribed under the Environment (Protection) Rules,
1986, as amended subsequently, shall also be put on the website of the company
along with the status of compliance of environmental clearance conditions and
shall also be sent to the respective Regional Offices of the Ministry by
e-mail.
(xv) The project proponent shall
submit six monthly reports on the status of the implementation of the
stipulated environmental safeguards to the Ministry of Environment and Forests,
its Regional Office, Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution
Control Board. The project proponent shall upload the status of compliance of
the environment of the environmental clearance conditions on their website and
update the same periodically and simultaneously send the same by e-mail to the
Regional Office, Ministry of Environment and Forests.
(xvi)
Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment & Forests will monitor
the implementation of the stipulated conditions. A complete set of documents
including Environmental Impact Assessment Report and Environment Management
Plan along with the additional information submitted from time to time shall be
forwarded to the Regional Office for their use during monitoring. Project
proponent will up-load the compliance status in their website and up-date the
same from time to time at least six monthly basis. Criteria pollutants levels including NOx (from stack & ambient air)
shall be displayed at the main gate of the power plant.
(xvii)
Separate funds shall be allocated for implementation of environmental
protection measures along with item-wise break-up. These cost shall be included
as part of the project cost. The funds earmarked for the environment protection
measures shall not be diverted for other purposes and year-wise expenditure
should be reported to the Ministry.
(xviii)
The project authorities shall inform the Regional Office as well as the
Ministry regarding the date of financial closure and final approval of the
project by the concerned authorities and the dates of start of land development
work and commissioning of plant.
(xix)
Full cooperation shall be extended to the Scientists/Officers from the
Ministry / Regional Office of the Ministry at Bangalore /
CPCB/ SPCB who would be monitoring the compliance of environmental status.
5. The
Ministry of Environment and Forests reserves the right to revoke the clearance
if conditions stipulated are not implemented to the satisfaction of the
Ministry. The Ministry may also impose additional environmental conditions or
modify the existing ones, if necessary.
6. The
environmental clearance accorded shall
be valid for a period of 5 years to start operations by the power plant.
7. Concealing
factual data or submission of false/fabricated data and failure to comply with
any of the conditions mentioned above may result in withdrawal of this
clearance and attract action under the provisions of Environment (Protection)
Act, 1986.
8. In
case of any deviation or alteration in the project proposed including coal
transportation system from those submitted to this Ministry for clearance, a
fresh reference should be made to the Ministry to assess the adequacy of the
condition(s) imposed and to add additional environmental protection measures
required, if any.
9. The
above stipulations would be enforced among others under the Water (Prevention
and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and rules there
under, Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 and its
amendments, the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and its amendments.
Yours
faithfully,
(Dr. P.L. Ahujarai)
Scientist ‘F’
Copy
to:
1.
The Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shram Shakti Bhawan,
Rafi Marg, New Delhi
110001.
2.
The Secretary (Environment), Forests
and Environment Department Government of Maharashtra.
3.
The Chairman, Central Electricity
Authority, Sewa Bhawan,
R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110066.
4.
The Chairman, Maharashtra Pradesh
State Pollution Control Board, Kalpataru Point, 3rd
& 4th Floors, Sion Matunga
Scheme Road No. 6, Opp. cine Planet, Sion Circle, Sion (E), Mumbai – 400 022
5.
The Chairman, Central Pollution
Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, CBD-cum-Office Complex, East Arjun Nagar, Delhi- 110032.
6.
The Chief Conservator of Forests, Regional
Office (WZ), E-5, Kendriya Paryavaran
Bhawan, Arera Colony, Ravishankar Nagar, Bhopal - 462016.
7.
The District Collector, Solapur District, Govt. of Maharashtra.
8.
The Director (EI), MOEF.
9.
Guard
file.
10.
Monitoring file.
(Dr. P.L. Ahujarai)
Scientist ‘F’