State-run power giant NTPC on Sunday said thermal power plants are not responsible for the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-National Capital Region (Delhi-NCR).

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The deterioration in Air Quality Index (AQI) in NCR is the most serious health issue in these COVID times. Vehicular emissions, construction activities, road dust, industrial emissions and above all agro-waste (parali) burning in the nearby states are contributing to the smog that threatens to have an irreversible effect on the health and immune system, NTPC said in a statement.

Coal-fired power plants have often been accused for increased pollution, which may not always be correct, it said.

The coal-fired units of Dadri (NTPC plant) are closed since October, but the ambient air quality and AQI of NCR have been deteriorating day-by-day, NTPC said.

"The same units were operational during the lockdown earlier this year with practically no emissions. In fact, when it comes to emissions, Dadri coal units are amongst the cleanest not only in NTPC but the whole country," it said.

All the units of NTPC Dadri power station are equipped with state-of-the-art systems to control emissions like ESP (electrostatic precipitator) for particulate matters, dry sorbent injection, desulfurization system for SOx emission and combustion modification for control of NOx emissions.

Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) and Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQMS) are installed for real time monitoring of ambient air quality, it added.

NTPC said its Dadri thermal plant has developed a facility for co-firing of rice stubble agro-waste pellets.

More than 8,000 tonnes of agro-waste pellets have been fired in the last two years which has avoided stubble burning in almost 4,000 acres of farmland. The use of agro-waste pellets for power generation at Dadri station is helping farmers financially and also in reducing the carbon footprint of power generation, it added.

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"The irony is that all the coal units at Dadri are under shutdown and the opportunity for generation of green power from parali/agro-pellets is lost," the company said.