Move away from coal-fired plants

SPEAK UP! :: Letters

Move away from coal-fired plants

THE Jimah 1400MW coal-fired power plant in Port Dickson will change the atmospheric conditions in Klang Valley once it’s in operation this July.
The use of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD), electronic precipitators (ED), and low NOX burners doesn’t mitigate the emission of noxious gas and particles. FGD typically traps sulphur oxide particulates, hydrogen sulfides, and gases through a liquid solution. These are corrosive, acidic and basic gas streams. They produce lots of polluted water so it is just converting one pollution form to another. Essentially, the ED attracts particles to collection surface, and is only effective when particles are suspended in very hot gas. Furthermore, potential coal sludge either replanted or spillage contains high levels of mercury, cadmium and lead that could lead to massive fish deaths in rivers and contaminate underground sources of drinking water.

Suspended particles vary in size and composition in the air depositing in the human respiratory system. Coarse particles matter (PM10) and fine particles (PM2.5) are particles of health significance because they can travel pass the nasopharyngeal region of the upper human respiratory tract, to reach the lower respiratory tract, namely the trachea bronchial region and the lung.

The World Health Organisation tracked annual burden of air pollution on population DALYs (daily adjusted life years) worldwide. There are many scientific journals linking air pollution with asthma admissions. However, in Malaysia, patients seeking treatment at private hospitals and clinics are not part of the exposure data collected for air pollutant studies, distorting significantly the impact of localised air pollution. Sporadic and ad hoc research coupled with Department of Environment static air monitoring stations found at limited locations can hardly attribute sources effectively. With such limitations, obviously data are cast in doubt. The onus is now on the residents to ensure greater environmental awareness and protection. We can survive less on food and water but not air.

Coal-fired power plants emit particles that cause acid rain, smog and affect large areas downwind. In Louisiana, coal-fired power sources caused a high rate of illnesses including autism because of heavy metal concentration, some called the area around Lake Charles and the end of the Mississippi cancer alley.

Global warming calls for reduction in carbon footprint by use of alternative renewable energy since benefits far exceed costs. There should be greater focus on micro-generation to reduce transmission distances and put a carbon tax in place to pay for the real impact of fossil fuels. Coal may have its cost advantage but it poses far greater risk to public health and inevitably TNB should focus its expertise on alternative fuel capacity building, if not at least sources of new fuel to energise the country’s needs.

Finding secure, safe and reliable sources of energy to power economic growth will be one of the great challenges of this century. The future of energy is about new forms of power and the incentive for out of the box thinking on energy. The government must consider the options of localised small-time independent power producers harnessing solar or high-altitude wind, bio-energy to produce energy at an unsubsidised real cost significantly below that of the least expensive coal-fired power plants, the current benchmark of the lowest cost source of power.

Joseph Lim
Kuala Lumpur


Updated: 01:08AM Tue, 03 Mar 2009
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