Thermal Power-The power quagmire

Steam, coal, oil, and natural gas based thermal power plants have been the backbone of power generation in almost all the progressive countries around the World. They have quenched the thirst of rapidly growing economies and expanding industries but at a much larger environmental cost. Cost effectiveness of thermal plants is also debatable as compared to many other power sources such as hydroelectric plants and even nuclear plants in the present circumstances.

Thermal plants built near urban centers are a great environmental hazard for millions of people besides disturbing the ecology of water bodies from which these power plants use water as a coolant and release the used water in the reservoir for reuse. This heated water disturbs the natural conditions of the water reservoir and affects the numerous flora and fauna in and around it.

Among the many air pollutants released by a thermal plant are suspended particulate matter(SPM), fly ash, oxides of nitrogen(NO_x), oxides of sulfur(SO_x) and carbon. Other pollutants are toxic elements, metals as Cd, Hg, Ni, As, F,V, and ash. Ash and some other pollutants from power plants require vast stretches of land for disposal. During 1998-99, the power stations in India consumed 210 million tonnes of coal, which in turn produced 80 million tonnes of ash posing a major problem for disposal as the data by Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB) reveals. Thermal power plants belong to the 17 categories of highly polluting industries. As on 30 june 2000, out of the 97 pre-1991 thermal power projects, twenty had not yet provided the requisite pollution control facilities.

Since 1950-51, the electricity generation capacity in India has multiplied 55 times from a meager 1.7 thousand MW to 93.3 thousand MW as of 2000. The generating capacity in India comprises a mix of hydro, thermal, and nuclear plants. Since the early seventies the hydro-thermal capacity mix has changed significantly with the share of hydro in total capacity declining from 43% in 1970-71 to 24% in 1998-99. Thermal power constitutes about 74% of the total installed power generation capacity. However, increasing reliance on this source of energy leads to many environmental problems. India’s coal has a very high ash content(24-45%). The increased dependence of the power sector on an inferior quality coal has been associated with high emissions from power plants.

In thermal power sector, the total estimated pollution load of suspended particulate matter(SPM), SO_x, and NO_x increased from 0.3 million tonnes in 1947 to 15 million tonnes in 1997. In 1997, SPM claimed the largest share(86%) of the total. Suspended particulate matter(SPM) is one of the most critical air pollutants in most of the urban areas in the country and permissible standards are frequently violated at several locations monitored by Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB). Its levels have been consistently high in various cities over the past several years.

The widespread criticality of the SPM problem in the country is due to the synergistic effects of both anthropogenic and natural sources. Some of these are extensive urbanization and construction activities, vehicular pollution increase, extensive use of fossil fuels in industrial activities, inadequacy of pollution control measures, biomass burning, increasing share of thermal power plants in electricity production, presence of large acid and semi-acid area in north-west part of the country, increasing desertification, and decreasing vegetation cover.

Coal is considered a heavily polluting fuel in terms of black carbon, sulfates and other gaseous pollutants primarily due to incomplete and inefficient combustion. Coal based/coal fired thermal power plants CBTPPs/CFTPPs are responsible for almost 21 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions. Official figures from China in 2003 suggest that TPPs using coal, released over 11 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide or SO2 into the air, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the total emissions in the country. India is fifth (in the year 2001) in the world in carbon emissions (251 million metric tons of carbon equivalent). Emission levels in the CBTPPs are high.

Black Carbon or BC due to the TPPs causes dense / intense fog, haze and smog as in the Indo-Gangetic or I-G/IG basin or as in the northern plains during the winter season and brings day to day life to standstill. An intense air pollution will persist throughout the year. An increase in the concentration of BC produces changes in the monsoon (rainfall) patterns and abnormal heating of the atmosphere as BC is strongly absorbing in nature. Coal is the most carbon intensive of all fossil fuels, emits massive amounts of carbon dioxide or CO2 leading to global warming and climate change. SO2 causes a number of health problems, including respiratory disorders. Water slurry is used to take the ash from the power plant to the ash pond for disposal. The water may contain harmful heavy metals like boron, which have a tendency to leach out over a period of time. Due to this the ground water gets polluted and becomes unsuitable for domestic use. The second factor affecting the water environment is the release of ash pond decant into the local water bodies. This is harmful to the fisheries and other aquatic biota in the water body.

Huge amounts of ash rich in toxic trace elements and radioactive elements or radionuclides, are disposed off in large ponds and on open grounds surrounding the power plant, thus contaminating the topsoil and the subsurface aquifer. Absence of an underground lining permits easy mixing of the ash with the topsoil of the area. Al, As, Zn, Mo, Ba, V, Mo, Cd, Mn, and Pb exceed the WHO guidelines for drinking water in the tube well waters. People living near the ash ponds are subjected to a high radiation dose from the ash ponds and the soil cover, which is ~ (approximately) 2.6 times higher than the world average. The natural soil becomes more alkaline due to the alkaline nature of flyash thereby damaging the agriculture / agricultural sector. India is the third-largest producer of coal in the world (365 million tons, 2003-04), where the coal used in the power plants is of poor quality (mostly E-F grade or lignite) with high ash content (35-50%) and low calorific value. The problems associated with the use of coal are low calorific value and very high ash content. The ash content is as high as 55-60%, with an average value of about 35-40%. Further, most of the coal is located in the eastern parts of the country and requires transportation over long distances, mostly by trains, which run on diesel. About 70% oil is imported and is a big drain on India’s hard currency.

In India, millions of people breathe air with high concentration of dreaded pollutants. The air is highly polluted in terms of suspended particulate matter in most cities. This has lead to a greater incidence of associated health effects on the population manifested in the form of sub-clinical effects, impaired pulmonary functions, use of medication, reduced physical performance, frequent medical consultations and hospital admissions with complicated morbidity and even death in the exposed population.

In 2007, Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab was declared as the most polluted area in India considering certain air quality parameters owing to its steel and rolling units. Now the electricity board(PSEB) has proposed to set up two more coal based thermal power plants in Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo with installed capacity of 1300 MW and 2000 MW respectively. The plant sites are 1100 and 2100 acres respectively. The Rajpura thermal project is located about 40 kms from the tricity of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula with a high population density and total population of 1.8 millions. Apart from this another thermal power plant already operates at Ropar which is about 50 kms from Chandigarh. With its small scale polluting and defaulting industries, thermal power plants, biomass burning, high vehicle density and inadequacy of pollution control measures, it will not be surprising if Punjab soon belches in smoke, soot and ash. Likewise other states are also setting up large number of thermal projects based on coal and gas. One such thermal project in the south reflects collective human conscience level today. The Chamalapura project in Mysore district in Karnatka with proposed capacity of 1000 MW was being set up within 25 kms of outer periphery of National parks and sanctuaries, it was cancelled by Central government many years back. It doesn’t adhere to guidelines issued by Ministry of environment and forests(MoEF), and Pollution Control Board.

Instead of setting up more Thermal Power Projects which already constitute about 75% of the national power generation capacity, the country should invest in other power generation sources as setting up thermal projects on fertile land and near urban centres is a risk not worth taking.

It is regrettable that political parties in India have acted in an opportunistic and partisan manner and tried to scuttle the INDO-US Nuclear Deal. The most important aspect of the deal is that it widens the choices on offer for India — for environment-friendly and sustainable sources of energy, for access to technologies that have been long denied, and for a chance to arrive at the international high table of the UN Security Council. For the past few decades, Indian scientists have managed to bypass the technology-denial regime and achieve very impressive results and growth. However, given the rapidly changing environment and the fast pace of globalization, much more is needed just to sustain current levels. This deal provides India not only a hugely enhanced global stature, but also the choice to access and shop around for its specific needs from those that have the goods, if we want to. Today, we do not have that option. We have to make do without it.

A key argument against nuclear power is the enormous expense involved in setting up reactors to produce electric energy, a view the Left has been at pains to point out. However, with depleting reserves of good quality coal, the international price of fossil fuels like crude oil crossing $ 120 a barrel and gas pipelines fraught with security threats, even the cost effectiveness of other options is open to debate. According to the World Nuclear Transport Institute, the environmental fallout of a tonne of nuclear fuel is equivalent to burning about 120,000 tonnes of coal. Also uranium, unlike fossil fuels, can be recycled. A study conducted some years ago by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) estimates that the cost of nuclear electricity generation in India remains competitive with thermal power for plants located about 1,500-2,000 kms away from coal pit head, when full credit is given to long-term operating cost, especially in respect of fuel prices. Prices and cost-effectiveness, however, are again not the most critical issue about the 123 Agreement. Saving the environment, while critical for our existence and survival of this planet, is also not the issue. Neither is the vitally important matter of energy security. The issue is that the country must have as wide a variety of choices as possible.

But isn’t it pointless to be idealistic to the point that the country ignores its specific needs to wait interminably for an international order to become more equitable and egalitarian? At the least we should have the option of not suffocating ourselves with soot and ash so that India doesn’t remain aligned to an idealistic, completely fossilized terminology that signifies nothing, while ignoring its own critical needs?