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It is concerning to know that the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is proposing to fund 4 waste to energy plants in Gujarat. The investment of about USD 40 million to collectively burn 3,750 tons of garbage per day and release CO2 equivalent to the emissions from about 18,75,000 cars. It will also pollute air, water and soil, cause health issues, undermine sustainable waste management practices and impact livelihoods. 174 civil society organizations, networks, and activists have written a collective letter to the EDs of the World Bank, opposing the funding for Abellon Clean Energy, which plans to establish these plants.

CFA launched an exclusive microsite dedicated to its ‘Plastics Fuel Infertility’ campaign (PFIC), to curate our work on the relationship between fossil fuels and plastics. We hope that the microsite will collectively be populated in the coming months so that it is a resource for different rights holders, researchers, journalists and policymakers on the issue of polymers and plastics.

The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Centre, along with the Uttar Pradesh government, as well as Mirzapur Thermal Energy UP Private Limited, over violation of a 2016 order of the NGT, which prohibited construction on Mirzapur forest division’s forest land. The company, which is a subsidiary of Adani Power, has been illegally constructing walls and roads on forest land and encroaching on other lands. Adani Power is building a 1600 megawatt (2×800 MW) greenfield ultra-supercritical thermal power plant at Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh as part of its strategy to double thermal power capacity to about 30 GW. While India is aiming to 50% installed capacity from renewables (500 GW) by 2030 to reduce the emission intensity of GDP by 45%, the government has also announced new thermal power projects for up to 80GW in the next few years.

— Energy Team at CFA

Read the full issue here : Energy Matters | August 2024