India may close some of its coal plants as focus shifts to climate change

Efforts in India to close old coal plants have gathered pace amid rising outcry against air pollution and deepening concerns over climate change

India is considering a proposal that may force some of its dirtiest coal plants to close, as policy makers in one of the world’s top polluters increasingly focus on climate change.

The plan under consideration by the power ministry would cap plants’ so-called heat rate, which is a measure of how much coal energy is needed to produce each unit of electricity, according to people with knowledge of the issue.

Power stations totalling 10 gigawatts have been identified as breaching the proposed benchmark and more could be added, said the people, who asked not to be named as the discussions are ongoing