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(i) Costs of Coal Power Even in its most renewable energy friendly scenario (where all options other than coal are pushed to their limits), the IEP projects coal based power capacity in India to rise to 270 GW by 2032; while the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) projects installed capacity of coal -based plants to be 412 GW by that year. dcxvi The first problem with these projections is: where is the coal going to come from to feed these power plants? The IEP projects the requirement of coal for power generation to increase from 406 Mt in 2004–05 to between 1580 and 2555 Mt (for the least and most coal intensive option respectively) in 2031–32. Since the domestic supply of coal is limited, IEP projects that high quality coal imports requirement could range from 120 million tonnes to 770 million tonnes (for the least and most coal intensive option respectively) by 2031-32. dcxvii The problem is: globally available exportable coal supplies are also running out! A recent study by the <strong>Energy</strong> Watch Group of Germany predicts that global coal production will increase over the next few years, peak around 2025 and then decline. Clearly then, it is foolhardy to base our future energy security on a resource whose domestic supplies are declining and the global availability of which in adequate quantities beyond 2030 is suspect. dcxviii The second, and more important problem with this projection is: the IEP totally ignores the social, economic and environmental aspects of such a huge increase in coal based power generation. It is going to pose a bigger risk to biodiversity in the Indian subcontinent than all other anthropogenic interferences together did in the past. Each part of the entire coal cycle – from its mining, to burning of coal in power plants, to disposing of coal waste – causes irreparable damage to the environment and the health of people. Costs of coal mining The most serious health effect of coal mining is of course on the coal miners – it causes black lung disease, due to the progressive build up of coal dust in the lungs which the body is unable to remove. Apart from that, coal mining causes displacement of entire communities who are forced to abandon their homes because of the mines. The coal is normally located below thick forests, so mining causes widespread deforestation. It also generates huge waste mountains, and blankets surrounding communities with dust particles and debris. Costs of coal power plants The burning of coal in power plants to produce heat and generate electricity leaves a similar trail of destruction in its wake. A groundbreaking medical report Coal’s Assault on Human Health released in November 2009 by the renowned US group ‘Physicians for Social Responsibility’ has given in detail the devastating effects of coal burning on human health. Coal combustion releases sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, mercury, and dozens of other hazardous substances into the environment, which damage the respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous systems 150
of the human body. In particular, these emissions contribute to some of the most widespread diseases, including asthma, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. dcxix Apart from their impact on human health, the sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and coal dust emissions deposit over large areas, and their synergistic effect is very injurious to vegetation. They adversely affect soil fertility, resulting in a sharp decrease in agricultural yields. When located near forests, like the thermal power plants coming up in the Konkan region, the depositions of these acidic gases put the forests at the risk of forest dieback (a condition in which peripheral parts of trees are killed due to factors like acid rain). dcxx Another major problem with thermal power plants is that they require large amounts of water. Given the growing water crisis in the country, the plants being proposed to be sited in inland areas will worsen this crisis. As a solution to this problem, many new thermal power plants are proposed to be set up along the coast, so that they can use seawater. However, this will impact the fish breeding and spawning areas, threatening the livelihoods of fishermen. Finally, like coal mining, construction of the dozens of thermal power plants required to meet the coal power generation target for 2032 will also mean acquisition of large chunks of land, leading to displacement of lakhs of people. There is no alternate land in the country to be given to them, they will end up in the slums of big cities. True, they will not be annihilated or taken to gas chambers, but the quality of their accommodation is not going to be any better than in any concentration camp of the Third Reich. Costs of coal waste from plants The damage caused by coal doesn’t end once it’s burnt. The combustion waste, also known as coal ash, is very toxic. It contains many chemicals like lead, arsenic, boron and cadmium which can cause cancer and other health effects. dcxxi While this waste is supposed to be sluiced with water and let into ash ponds, thermal power plants in India invariably discharge ash into nearby water bodies, polluting them and affecting the lives of thousands of people dependent on these water bodies for their water supplies. dcxxii Not that the ash ponds are any better: most ash ponds are unlined or inadequately lined, and a new official report from the US says that such coal ash ponds have poisoned groundwater or surface water in at least 23 states, and they pose cancer risk 900 times above what can be defined as ‘acceptable’. dcxxiii Contribution to global warming Given the severity of the global warming crisis which is threatening the very existence of life on earth, probably the gravest problem caused by coal based power plants is that they are the biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world: according to one estimate, they account for one-third of overall global emissions. dcxxiv In the US, which is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, the electricity sector (meaning mainly the coal fired thermal power plants) is responsible for about one third of the country's total GHG emissions and 40 percent of total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. dcxxv For India, the report “India: Greenhouse Gas Emissions 151
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NUCLEAR ENERGY Technology From Hell
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Introduction Part I: Government Pla
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yet to find solution to the problem
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Mithivirdi: A powerful movement of
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eing proposed to be set up in the c
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nuclear power plant accident, in ou
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was subsequently endorsed by the he
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Atoms are so small that they can’
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called enriched uranium. [Note that
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of a nuclear power reactor. A typic
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Coolant: A liquid or gas circulatin
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Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor Hea
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Is Nuclear Energy Safe? Chapter 3 A
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iii. Gamma radiation: This is akin
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haematopoietic system). Radiation c
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Part III: Radiation Emission in Nuc
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The radioactivity from the tailing
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power plant contains an amount of l
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Tritium is a particularly scary mat
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Plutonium cxi Named after Pluto, th
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Firstly, reprocessing does not redu
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sports and fishing were also banned
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detail the impact of these 'once th
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We today know for a fact that the n
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Till 2005, there were at least 10,0
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The report mentions 16 “events”
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In an article published in The Nati
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Even asssuming that there will not
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fossil fuels. It has now come up wi
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Opinion of Credit Ratings Agencies
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it acknowledged that the expected c
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plant owners to use much more of th
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was the Vice-President of the USA):
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6. Blithely Ignoring Health Costs S
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Is Nuclear Power Green? Chapter 5 S
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Energy Balance attempts to make an
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nuclear energy as compared to elect
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Table 1: Estimates of Total and Nuc
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� At the end of 2009, there were
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Therefore, despite all the optimism
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1. Reviewing the Nuclear Renaissanc
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certification also runs out in 2012
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nuclear phase-out plans which are n
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lower house (Bundestag) to pass a b
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UK and French nuclear safety author
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The second and more important reaso
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eactor or two, but considering that
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Pre-Independence Period India’s N
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Secretary to the DAE. The 1958 Reso
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Page 103 and 104: Background Part III: US-India Agree
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Page 115 and 116: India’s Nuclear Installations: Sa
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Page 127 and 128: The biggest deficiency in the Rajas
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Page 131 and 132: Fires have also occurred repeatedly
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Page 161 and 162: Solar water heaters are a very simp
Page 163 and 164: Renewable Energies: Poised for a Le
Page 165 and 166: (iii) Small Hydro Power The governm
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Page 179 and 180: analyse. We must develop our politi
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dclix Union of Concerned Scientists
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