The Indian government has postponed the date by which coal-fired power plants need to be compliant with stricter SO_x emissions standards, as Reuters has reported. Originally, flue gas desulphurisation was to be installed by 2017 across the country, but that deadline was pushed back differently for different regions, the last compliance date being in 2022. Now, however the compliance date has been pushed back to 2025 for plants not near populous areas, though plants near populous areas (such as New Delhi) still need to comply by 2022. Companies such as Reliance Power and Adani Power, as well as state-run NTPC Ltd, had been campaigning for the deferral of compliance, citing the costs involved in installing desulphurisation equipment that would have to be passed on to consumers.