India’s power ministry has proposed pushing back the deadlines for adoption of new emission norms by coal-fired power plants, saying “an unworkable time schedule” would burden utilities and lead to an increase in power tariffs.

India initially had set a 2017 deadline for thermal power plants to comply with emissions standards for installing Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) units that cut emissions of toxic sulphur dioxide. That was later changed to varying deadlines for different regions, ending in 2022.

Under the latest proposal, no new dates have been set. However, a final decision will have to be approved by the Supreme Court, which is hearing the issue.

“The target should be to maintain uniform ambient air quality across the country and not uniform emission norms for thermal power plants,” Nishat Kumar, an official at India’s ministry of power said in a January 2 note to the country’s environment ministry, seen by Reuters.

“This could avoid immediate increase in power price in various relatively clean areas of the country (and) avoid unnecessary burden on power utilities/consumers,” Kumar said.