The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) said it will close the 1200MW-capacity Captive Power Plant unless Nalco increases its disposal of fly ash on a large scale.
“Over the past three years, we have been expressing our grave concerns on the problem of ash management in your Captive Power Plant (CPP) at Angul. With the present options available with you, I apprehend it would not be possible to find space for ash disposal beyond May 2012,” Siddhanta Das, SPCB member-secretary, said in a letter to Nalco.
“Your lean slurry disposal system is not likely to be operational before mid-2013, the high concentration slurry disposal system is also not likely to be put in place in the near future and going by the report of the Ash pond safety committee, we are not inclined to allow any further raising of dykes of the existing ash ponds,” Mr Das said.
He said the plant cold be closed within three months.