India is temporarily shutting down half of the coal-fired power plants around Delhi, but this has had nothing to do with any “coal phase-down” pledges. The coal power plants will be closed until November 30 due to unhealthy and hazardous levels of air pollution in the city and its surroundings, the so-called National Capital Region (NCR). Of the 11 coal-fired plants within a 300-kilometer (186 miles) radius of Delhi, six will be closed until the end of November, after the air quality index of the city show unhealthy and even hazardous air quality. Schools, colleges, and universities in the region were closed until further notice, while construction works were suspended until November 21, as per orders from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). Last month, India suffered from a coal shortage, as coal inventories at many of the 135 coal-fired power plants dropped to critically low levels, while India scrambled to get more coal supply amid the global energy crunch and skyrocketing prices of coal and natural gas.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 17, 2021 22:01 UTC