World is shifting to renewables but our inclination continues to be towards environmentally hazardous energy sources
KARACHI: Coal-fired power generation is being promoted in the country by approving several coal-fired power plants while ignoring the environmental and climate change costs associated with this type of energy alternative. Recently, G7 leaders released a climate communique, strengthening the case for fossil fuel divestment and keeping them, including coal, in the ground. There is a notion that Pakistan’s oil import increases circular debt, but what are the chances that coal import will not have the same implications? The poor communities living near the proposed plants face several issues, including more than 12 hours of power cuts daily. What are the prospects that these poor households would benefit from the electricity produced from the coal-fired plants? The proponents of the coal-fired plants have come up with only ideal futuristic situations, but we have had bad experience of coal handling by the Karachi port authorities and other stakeholders involved.
The world is shifting to renewable solutions but our inclination continues to be towards environmentally hazardous energy sources rather than energy-efficient ones. The government apparently approves of heavy ecological costs, including deforestation, dismantling of irrigation channels and loss of bird habitat when it gave the go-ahead for building a coal-fired plant in Punjab last year. Moreover, it should be noted that a typical coal plant withdraws 70-180 billion gallons of water per year and consumes 0.36 to 1.1 billion gallons of that water. Millions of fish eggs and larvae may also come along with this water when it is drawn into a coal power plant. This poses a threat to marine life. It is important that Pakistan considers the environmental, social and economic side effects of fossil fuels and lays stress on employing renewable sources of energy.
Roshan Bhatti
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2015.
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