NGT Cancels Centre's Environment Clearance For Ennore Thermal Power Plant

NGT quashed the union govt's order exempting TANGEDCO from conducting a public hearing and directed authorities to file a fresh environment impact assessment report after conducting a public hearing.

Ennore Thermal Power Plant (Source: TANGEDCO Website)

Chennai: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended the environmental clearance that is granted by the central government to Ennore thermal power plant to convert its 450MW power plant to a 660MW power plant for six months. The southern zone bench of NGT has also ordered a public hearing for the same.

According to a report in the Times of India, NGT has quashed the union environment ministry's order exempting Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) from conducting a public hearing and directed authorities to file a fresh environment impact assessment report after conducting a public hearing. 

The state power utility has made two proposals to expand the existing power plant or to replace it and expand the plant, TANGEDCO had obtained environmental clearance in 2008, the report said and added as the power utility could not complete the project on time, it had sought multiple extensions but the union ministry directed them to apply for a fresh environmental clearance in 2019 as it could not extend the validity beyond 10 years.  

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While applying for fresh environmental clearance, the utility had sought exemption from conducting a fresh public clearing to avoid further delay and said that a public hearing for the replacement project was held in 2017, according to the report. 

The report further said that a petition was filed by one RL Srinivasan before the tribunal requesting them to quash the clearance granted by the union government as it was in violation of environment impact assessment notification, 2006. The petition was filed in 2020. 

TANGEDCO, during the hearing, said that they had submitted the environmental impact assessment report on its website instead of uploading it in Tamil Nadu pollution control board’s website that conducts public hearings, the report said.

In response, the tribunal said that the public could possibly not know the contents of the report to raise their objections before the authorities, and the expert appraisal committee could not get their views from the public, according to the report.