Power sector

Green belts, ash pond reclamation and corridor planting

For thermal plants, transmission utilities and renewable parks: native planting that meets the rules and survives.

Plan a programme What applies to you

400+ companies plant with us · 85% survival, program-wide · 14 states across India

Planting day handled

Site, saplings, tools and safety

85% survival

program-wide, geo-tag verified

400+ companies

plant with us

14 states

across India

Quick answer

What does a power company need from plantation and restoration?

Thermal plants need green belts set by their environmental clearance, and can reclaim stabilised ash ponds with green belt or plantation under the fly ash notification. Transmission lines through forest need compensatory afforestation and careful corridor management under the 2014 guidelines and the Van Rules, 2023. Solar and wind parks are White category, so plantation there is mainly a CSR and community choice.

Companies planting with us

Real programmes, in our clients' own words.

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See all corporate films →

What we deliver

Services for power companies

Planted, cared for for three years and reported on GreenTrack.

Thermal plant green belts

Tiered native belts around coal, ash and boundaries, with irrigation and five-year care.

Green belt guide →

Ash pond reclamation

Soil capping, grasses and hardy natives to reclaim stabilised ash ponds and dykes.

Ash pond guide →

Compensatory afforestation

CA land checks, planting and care for transmission and other linear projects.

Transmission guide →

Farmer agroforestry

Fruit and timber trees on farms around parks. Up to 3× farm income vs two-crop farming.

Agroforestry →

Pond and lake restoration

Village water bodies restored near plants and parks, with community involvement.

Pond restoration →

GreenTrack monitoring

Geo-tagged trees, survival data and BRSR-ready reports for every site.

See GreenTrack →

How a programme works

Five steps, from the site survey to reports your compliance and BRSR teams can use.

Site survey and duties check
Species and planting plan
Planting with our team
Three years of care
GreenTrack reports

What you get

Site and species plan
Geo-tagged trees
Survival checks and replacement
Photos and field records
Reports for compliance and BRSR
Digital forest page

Programmes that fit

Pick the programme that suits your land, region and goals.

Projects across India

Every pin is a project with its own digital forest. Filter by programme or state, or search for a company.

Pins show the approximate area of each project, not exact plot locations. Updated 2026-10-07.

Trusted by 400+ companies

Programmes we have run

How companies planted with us, and what they got.

From the field

Planting, care and growth on our project sites.

Village women planting saplings at a Grow Billion Trees plantation drive

Employees planting and watering saplings at a corporate plantation drive

Corporate team group photo at a Grow Billion Trees plantation site

Freshly dug pits and saplings in rows at a plantation site

Volunteers planting saplings across a large plantation site

Community members kneeling to plant saplings along drip lines

Volunteers planting saplings beside drip irrigation lines

Large group planting trees together at a corporate plantation drive

People planting saplings across an open plantation site

Transparency

Check any tree we planted for you

Every tree we plant is geo-tagged and gets a certificate. Enter a certificate or order number to see it.

Have a certificate? Check your trees

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Plantation and restoration for the power sector: what applies

Thermal plants, transmission utilities and renewable developers face very different rules on land and trees. This table sets out the main ones.

Rule	What it asks	How plantation helps	Source
Green belt in environmental clearance (thermal)	Green belt share set in EC; many carry 33%; 2025 OM refers new standalone Red units in air-polluting sectors to 25%	Yes: tiered native belts, five-year care and half-yearly reporting	MoEFCC OM, 29 Oct 2025
Fly ash notification, 31 Dec 2021	100% ash utilisation; legacy ash cleared within ten years; ₹1,000 per tonne compensation for shortfalls	Yes: stabilised ponds reclaimed with green belt or plantation, per CPCB guidelines and SPCB certification	CEA ash report
Transmission lines through forest (2014 guidelines)	Least tree cutting, capped right-of-way widths, natural regeneration in stringing strips	Yes: low regeneration in corridors and native planting at edges and slopes	MoEF guidelines, 2014
Compensatory afforestation (Van Rules, 2023)	CA for forest diversion; degraded forest land at least double allowed for transmission lines	Yes: raising and caring for CA plantations with the Forest Department	Van Rules, 2023
CPCB categorisation (solar and wind)	Solar PV and wind are White category; no Consent to Operate needed	Optional: community planting, agroforestry and water work as CSR	CPCB, 2016

Thermal plants: green belts and ash ponds

CPCB lists thermal power plants as Red category. Green belts are set in EC conditions, and the 29 October 2025 OM moved new applications away from a flat 33%. See green belt at thermal power plants.

The fly ash notification lets stabilised ash ponds and dykes be reclaimed with green belt or plantation, with SPCB certification. Read ash pond and dyke reclamation.

Transmission: corridors and compensatory afforestation

Lines through forest follow the 2014 guidelines on widths, felling and regeneration. Compensatory afforestation for transmission lines may use degraded forest land at least double in extent. See transmission lines through forest.

How we work with power companies

We start with a site survey covering soil or ash conditions, water, clearances and safety zones. Then we plan species and layout, plant, irrigate and fill gaps through the care period.

Trees are geo-tagged and reported on GreenTrack, so EC reports, SPCB certification files and BRSR disclosures draw on the same records.

Solar and wind: a community choice

Solar PV and wind are White category, so plantation is mostly CSR and goodwill. Farmer agroforestry and water restoration work well. See programmes around solar and wind parks.

Questions power companies ask

How much green belt does our site need?

It depends on your environmental clearance. Older clearances often set 33% of the area; for new and pending applications, a ministry memorandum of 29 October 2025 sets minimums from 10% to 40% by category. Work out your area and trees with our green belt calculator.

What green belt does a thermal power plant need?

Its EC conditions decide; many carry 33%. For new applications, the 29 October 2025 OM refers standalone Red units in predominantly air-polluting sectors to 25%, and 40% in critically or severely polluted areas.

Can an ash pond be reclaimed with trees?

Yes. The fly ash notification exempts legacy ash use where a pond or dyke has stabilised and been reclaimed with green belt or plantation per CPCB guidelines, with SPCB certification.

What do transmission lines through forest need?

Least tree cutting, capped right-of-way widths and compensatory afforestation. See our transmission guide.

Do solar and wind parks need a green belt?

Usually not by rule. They are White category, and the 2025 criteria make green belts optional for White category units.

Does plantation reduce a power plant's reported emissions?

No. Plantation supports EC, reclamation, forest-law, CSR and BRSR duties. Carbon figures are estimates only.

How is a project priced?

Green belt, reclamation and compensatory plantation work is priced per project after a site survey. Individual trees start at ₹299.

Can farmers near our plant benefit?

Yes. Through agroforestry, farmers keep the fruit and timber income, with up to 3× farm income compared with conventional two-crop farming.

Guides to read

Background reading from our blog, picked for this topic.

Visit the learning centre

Questions people ask

All questions on this topic

Green belts, ash pond reclamation and corridor planting

What does a power company need from plantation and restoration?

Companies planting with us