New norms for DG sets in NCR to come into effect from Oct 1

Starting October 1, diesel generator (DG) sets churning out more than 19kW will only be allowed to function in the National Capital Region (NCR) if they have been retrofitted with emission control devices (ECDs) or with dual fuel kits, according to a tweak in regulations announced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

Environmentalists and resident welfare associations (RWAS) in Delhi have largely welcomed the move, but residents of Gurugram and Noida two cities that face frequent power outages-said the decision will cause many hardships, and pointed to the high cost of converting DG sets to a dual fuel setup, which can be as high as 10 lakh for a 600kW DG set, according to some RWAS.

Under new regulations, which were first announced on June 8, industries, commercial buildings, and residential setups have time till September 30 to finish retrofitting their DG sets. The rules state that there will be no exceptions under Graded.

Response Action Plan (Grap) - a set of emergency measures that kick in on October 1 every year to tackle air pollution.

In previous years, DG sets were allowed as power backup for essential and emergency services such as lifts, transport hubs, health care facilities, Metro stations, etc.