BY SPEED POST
J 13012/34/2008-IA.II (T)
Government of
Ministry of Environment & Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan
New Delhi-110 003
E-mail: plahujarai@yahoo.com
Tele/fax: 011-2436 3973
Dated: May 31, 2010
To
M/s IL&FS Tamil Nadu Power Company Ltd.
B-Block, Navin’s Presidium, 4th Floor
103, Nelsom Manickam Road,
Aminjikarai
Chennai – 600 029.
Sub: 2x600
MW and 3x800 MW Coal Based
Sir,
The undersigned is directed to refer to letter dated 19.03.2010
alongwith copies of EIA/EMP, public hearing and Marine Impact Assessment Study
reports 16.04.2010 on the subject mentioned above and subsequent communication
dated 29.04.2010 seeking environmental clearance under the provisions of EIA
Notification, 2006.
2. The Ministry of Environment &
Forests has examined the application. It
has been noted that the proposal is for setting up of 2x600 MW and 3x800 MW
Imported Coal Based
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.
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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 ElA 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 CRZ
clearance for permissible activities to be located in CRZ areas.
(ii)
It
is noted that the on the western side of the plant area, Buckingham Canal is
almost touching the plot area at some of
the locations even though a distance of
(iii)
In
case source of fuel supply, now proposed to be run on imported coal from
(iv)
The
project proponent should keep space provision for providing the FGD system with
all the five units of power plant, so that the systems can be installed when
ever required.
(v)
A
detailed coal analysis from a reputed lab for all contracted coal sources for
the project shall be submitted within three months.
(vi)
High
Efficiency Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs) shall be installed to ensure that
particulate emission does not exceed 50 mg/Nm3. Two stack of
(vii)
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)
The proponent shall upload the status
of compliance of the stipulated EC 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.
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(ix)
The project proponent shall examine in detail the
possibility to adopt NIOT technology of desalination through Low Temperature
Thermal Desalination (LTTD) process. In case the same is not feasible detailed
explanation shall be submitted to the Ministry within six months.
(x)
The
water containing brine shall be discharged only after cooling at ambient
temperature in a guard pond such that after the same is made to meet the
average salinity of sea water.
(xi)
The
project proponent shall develop a monitoring mechanism for marine/coastal water
at its own expenses by an independent government organization location in the
region such as
(xii)
Suitable
screens (in stages) shall be placed across intake channel to prevent
entrainment of life forms including eggs, larvae, juvenile fish, plankton etc.
during extraction of sea water.
(xiii)
COC
of at least 1.3 shall be adopted. The treated effluents conforming to the
prescribed standards only shall be re-circulated and reused within the plant
(as may be required).
(xiv)
No
ground water shall be extracted for use in operation of the power plant even in
lean season.
(xv)
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.
(xvi)
There
should not be any contamination of soil, ground and surface waters (canals
& village pond) with sea water in and around the project sites. In other
wards necessary preventive measures for spillage from pipelines, such as lining
of guard pond used for the treatment of outfall and intake should be adopted.
This is just because the areas around the projects boundaries fertile
agricultural land used for paddy cultivation.
(xvii)
To
absorb the ground level pollutants, to act buffer against strong winds arising
out of tropical cyclones/ storms, to reduce heat load and ameliorate
environment, there is a need for shelterbelts/greenbelts/ tree cover along the
coastline, bunds around marshy areas, roadsides, around the project protected
monuments, forts, waste places, School Campuses and other vacant lots. Coconut
plantations can be developed along the coastline and near villages, School and
forts. Stands of Casuariana should also be developed on some dunes and along
coasts. Bamboos, neem and other native trees should be planted in and around at
the villages.
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(xviii)
No
waste water should be discharged onto channel systems, backwaters, marshy areas
and seas without treatment. The outfall should be first treated in guard pond
and then discharge into deep sea (12 to
(xix)
Utilisation of 100% Fly Ash
generated for Phase-III shall be made from 4th year of operation of
the plant. Status of implementation shall be reported to the Regional Office of
the Ministry from time to time.
(xx)
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.
(xxi)
Ash pond shall be lined with HDP/LDP lining or any
other suitable impermeable media suh 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.
(xxii)
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.
(xxiii)
Green
Belt shall consist of 3 tiers of plantations as cited above and largely
comprising of native species around the power plant and at least
(xxiv)
To
meet the expenditure on plantations and their management, a common Green
Endowment fund should be created by the project proponents out of EMP budgets
the interest earned out of it should be used for the development and management
of green cover of the area.
(xxv)
The
project proponent shall submit a time bound implementation plan for
re-generation/ preservation of Pichavaram Mangroves and others, if any, and the
fund earmarked and committed for the same amounting to Rs 6.0 Crores shall not
be diverted for any other activity. Road map for implementation shall be
submitted within six months to the Ministry.
(xxvi)
A
dedicated Environment management Cell with suitable qualified personnel
constituting of Marine Biologist and an ecologist shall be set-up under the
control of a Senior Executive, who will report directly to the Head of the
Organization.
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(xxvii)
The
project proponent shall not hamper the vocation of the fishing community in the
area and it shall be ensured that local fishing community shall be allowed to
carry out their vocation. The project proponent shall adopt the fishing
communities displaced / affected by the power plant and in particular those
residing in and around
(xxviii)
An
endowment of Fishermen Welfare Fund shall be created not only of enhance their
quality of life through creation of facilities for fish landing platforms/
fishing harbour/ cold storage, but also to provide relief in case of emergency
situations such as missing of fishermen on duty due to rough seas, tropical
cyclones and storms etc.
(xxix) Local employable youth shall be
identified and trained in skills relevant to the project for eventual
employment in the project itself. The action taken report and details thereof
to this effect shall be submitted to the Regional Office of the Ministry and
the State Govt. Department concerned from time to time.
(xxx)
Two
nearest villages shall be adopted and basic amenities like development of
roads, drinking water supply, primary health centre, primary school etc shall
be developed by the project proponent at its own cost in co-ordination with the
district administration.
(xxxi)
A
good action plan for R&R (if applicable) with package for the project
affected persons be submitted and implemented as per prevalent R&R policy within
three months form the date of issue of this letter.
(xxxii) An amount of Rs 80.0 Crores shall be
earmarked as one time capital cost for CSR programme. Subsequently a recurring
expenditure of Rs 16.0 Crores per annum shall be earmarked as recurring
expenditure for CSR activities. Details of the activities to be undertaken
shall be submitted within one month along with road map for implementation.
(xxxiii) While identifying CSR programme the
company shall conduct need based assessment for the nearby villages 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 besides 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. This will be in
addition to vocational training for individuals imparted to take up self
employment and jobs. In addition a special scheme for upliftment of SC/ST’s and
mariginalised population in the study area out of CSR programme shall be
formulated and submitted to the Ministry within six months along with
firm commitment of implementation. The scheme shall have an in-built monitoring
mechanism.
(xxxiv) 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
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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 sewage treatment plant shall be provided (as
applicable) and the treated sewage shall be used for raising
greenbelt/plantation.
(ii)
Rainwater harvesting should
be adopted. Central Groundwater Authority/ Board shall be consulted for
finalization of appropriate rainwater harvesting technology within a period
of three months from the date of clearance and details shall be furnished.
(iii)
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.
(iv)
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,
(v)
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.
(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 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
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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 labourers
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)
A separate Environment
Management Cell with qualified staff shall be set up for implementation of the
stipulated environmental safeguards.
(xiii)
The project proponent shall
also submit six monthly reports on the status of compliance of the stipulated
environmental clearance conditions including results of monitored data (both in
hard copies as well by e-mail) to the respective Regional Office of MOEF, the
respective Zonal Office of CPCB and the SPCB.
(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 EC 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
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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
4. 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.
5. The
environmental clearance accorded shall be valid for a period of 5 years to
start operations by the power plant.
6. 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.
7. 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.
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8. 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.
9. Any appeal against this environmental clearance shall lie
with the National Environment Appellate Authority, if preferred, within 30 days
as prescribed under Section 11 of the National Environment Appellate Act, 1997.
Yours
faithfully,
(Dr. P.L. Ahujarai)
Scientist ‘F’
Copy
to:
1.
The
Secretary, Ministry of Power, Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg,
2.
The
Secretary (Environment), Environment Department, Government of Tamil Nadu.
3.
The
Chairman, Central Electricity Authority, Sewa Bhawan, R.K. Puram, New
Delhi-110066.
4.
The
Chairman, Tamil Nadu State Pollution Control Board, No. 76, Mount Road, Mount
Salai, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032
5.
The
Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, CBD-cum-Office Complex, East Arjun Nagar,
6.
The
Chief Conservator of Forests, Regional
Office (SZ), Kendriya Sadan, 4th Floor E&F Wings 17th
Main Road, 1 Block , Koranmangala, Bangalore
-560 034.
7.
The
District Collector, Cuddalore District, Govt. of Tamil Nadu.
8.
Guard file.
9.
Monitoring file.
(Dr. P.L. Ahujarai)
Scientist ‘F’