Anyone with insight into electricity production will know that natural gas power plant produces least amount of SO2 & soot (particulate matter), followed by fuel oil. Coal & Pet Coke being the worst fuels in this regard. Practically all European nations insist on removal of soot & SO2 before the flue gas is released into the atmosphere.
However, whether gas powered , fuel oil powered or coal powered or based on any other fuel such as bio gas or bagasse from sugar mills; Power plant will produce CO2 in large quantities as the natural product of combustion; thus cause global warming. If you want to produce power without CO2 emission, you go for nuclear power or use wind & solar energy
World Bank may not have committed for new coal powered projects. But European nations are going away from nuclear power and instead building coal based power plants. As of April 2013 Germany had at least 10 new coal based power plants under construction.
Germany builds minus six coal plants after nuclear phaseout – German Energy Transition
There were about 1200 coal in planning stages as of 2012 about 75 % of these in Indian & China.
More than 1,000 new coal plants planned worldwide, figures show | Environment | The Guardian
Being a resident of UK I am familiar with policies of European Union. EECD follow the Kyoto Protocol which is an international agreement adopted in Kyoto Japan in 1997 and amended thru Doha agreement of 2012. This basically commits the parties to follow internationally binding emission standards. The idea is to control Green House Gases emission.
The control is primarily thru CCS (carbon capture & storage) technology for all new power plants. However this makes coal based power plant expensive to build and run. Based on one study I came across done at the MIT on the future of coal; capital cost of coal power plant of 500MW capacity with CCS doubled and running cost went up 20% as compared to the one without CCS.
I have experienced pollution on Karachi streets. Why does not Dr Shahid Naseem suggest that GOP reduce the limit of sulphur in the auto diesel to 0.25% from the current 1% limit on local production & 0.5% on imported diesel? For the record European standard is now 10 ppm Sulphur in diesel (0.5% is equal to 5000 ppm). Also impose strict limits of vehicle exhaust gases as is done in UK each year in the MOT test. This would reduce SO2 level on the streets of Karachi by 75%, far more than that will be released by the Gadani power plants. Please remember it is primarily the SO2 that causes acid rain. However reducing the Sulphur level in imported diesel would add about $30 per ton to the cost that is about additional $120-million per year to the oil import bill.
We scream when there is electricity shortage and also when electricity price is increased. At the same time even the PM house was defaulter of electricity bills. Energy Minister claims that in some areas of KPK people come out with guns when worker are sent to cut their connection due non-payment of bills!
Pakistanis have to decide; either live with 18 hours load shedding in perpetuity or build plants with CCS which cost a lot more or accept environmental consequences. Pray tell me, what is the real purpose of this article? Would you rather not build Gadani Power plants?
