As many as 115,000 people die in India each year from coal-fired power plant pollution, costing the country about $4.6 billion, according to a groundbreaking new study released.
http://theenergycollective.com/josephromm/197641/coal-s-true-cost-1000
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
Why India's Coal Plans Are An Illusion
The biggest untold story in the world is now out in the open.
Despite warnings from the World Bank about the dangers of unchecked climate change, the coal industry has a global pipeline of nearly 1,200 plants planned, two thirds of which are in India and China. India alone has plans to build a coal fleet nearly twice the size of the entire U.S. coal fleet.
But if this pipeline has you thinking that a coal-fired future is inevitable, think again. The truth: The majority of plants in this global pipeline are nothing an illusion.
To understand the reality of the industry's plans, take a look at India. India's huge pipeline will require ~2.4 billion tons of coal by 2030. That's two and a half times what the U.S. currently consumes. More importantly, it's nearly five times the amount of coal that India produces. To feed this beast India is going to need a herculean effort to increase production.
Let's take an optimistic scenario where Coal India (CIL) - the state owned mining company responsible for 90 percent of domestic supplies - maintains a robust 7 percent annual growth rate. In this scenario, India would increase production to ~ 1.5 billion tons. Despite this mammoth increase in production, the country would still face a supply shortfall equal to 920 million tons by 2030 - an amount equivalent to annual U.S. coal demand. That's a jaw-dropping amount of coal and it's the "optimistic scenario" because it's based on the fantastical belief that CIL will maintain an annual growth rate it has only achieved twice in the past 10 years.
But this optimistic scenario looks even more doubtful when you take into account the woeful state of the Indian coal sector. Despite industry spin that "environmental hurdles" are constraining production, the truth is that India has simply not invested in the infrastructure necessary to mine and transport coal to power plants. Worse, the permitted mining expansions it does have are under heavy scrutiny as the coal gate scandal has already resulted in the revocation of dozens of coal leases.
To expand any further the industry will need forest clearances because remaining deposits sit under prime forest land. Getting those permits is already leading to a showdown with activists determined to preserve what's left of India's natural heritage. Which is why Prime Minister Singh's attempts to force CIL to sign fuel supply agreements are so laughable. Without solving fundamental infrastructure problems, or convincing Indian citizens to destroy what's left of the country's forests, those agreements aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
More importantly, though, even if CIL defies all past experience (and concerted opposition), the 920 million tons they will still need is roughly the size of the entire international coal market today. Unless India thinks it can lock down a monopoly on the global market, that will be extremely difficult to procure.
The more pressing issue is how much it will cost India to secure that supply. Coal prices in the international market have hit a two-year low, causing near hysteria in Australia where billionaires are decrying their inability to compete. However, even these "cheap" prices are still $90/ton - triple what India pays domestically. This is likely a temporary lull. Coal prices have been on a steady upward march for the past decade and there are no signs this trend will reverse course given that easily-accessible reserves are tapped, transportation costs (oil) are rising, and an "Organization of Coal Exporting Countries" (OCEC) is emerging. Geologically speaking, coal may be abundant. But economically speaking, cheap coal is dead.
In addition, communities across the country are fighting new coal plants. Their movement is rivaling the anti-nuclear movement in its global reach and efficacy at shutting down projects.
Taken all together, we can see that this enormous pipeline is nothing but an illusion. But don't take it from me. Best to take advice from the Reserve Bank of India who has called for a freeze on lending to this "distressed sector."
Justin Guay leads the Sierra Club's international program. This piece was originally published at the Sierra Club's Compass blog and was reprinted with permission.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/hbRxWPCFkDg/story01.htm
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
4-GW Tata Mundra Coal Plant Is A Test Of The World Bank's Stated Commitment To Address Climate
When Dr. Jim Yong Kim took over as President of the World Bank, there was hope amongst health advocates and environmentalists that, given his background, the Bank would reevaluate its support for deadly fossil fuel projects. Dr. Kim's assertion that a new World Bank report on global warming should "shock us into action" is a step in the right direction.
Now, however, he has an opportunity to back this rhetoric with concrete action as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) reviews the social and environmental impacts of its $450 million loan for the enormous four-gigawatt Tata Mundra coal plant in Gujarat, India.
In response to extensive work by local communities and civil society groups to document and expose the impacts of Tata Mundra (PDF), the IFC's independent Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) has formally opened an investigation. Last week the CAO released the Terms of Reference for the review which will cover the devastating health, livelihood and environmental impacts of this mammoth coal plant.
This review is an important step towards rectifying the impact the project has had on the 10,000 local villagers who rely on the land and water the plant is destroying. Dust and ash from the project is contaminating fish and salt flats, while livestock that used to roam freely can no longer access the commons for grazing. And both villagers and animals are forced to breathe air and drink water contaminated by toxic pollution. All of these are impacts from just Tata Mundra. The sad reality is cumulative impacts are much larger, as it is sited right next to the even bigger 4,620 MW Adani coal plant.
Thousands have been displaced, and those who have stayed are face drastic health and economic risks, all for electricity that they will never be able to afford (PDF). That's because Tata Corporation dramatically lowballed the price they would pay for imported coal, and used this estimate to claim they could provide power at below-market rate in order to secure approval from the Indian government and funding from the IFC. Then, after construction started, they went back to the government, acknowledged that the project would run at a 270% annual loss, and demanded that they be allowed to raise rates on average citizens, destroying any notion that the project would ever help provide energy access for the poor.
This situation is hardly unique. Across India, funding for coal projects is drying up as lenders realize that the projects are expensive, unreliable, and likely to go bankrupt.
The IFC approved funding for the project despite the clear warning signs, once again acquiescing to the long standing belief that coal is cheap, and its impacts on local communities and the environment should therefore be ignored. While the review is technically independent, how the World Bank responds to the recommendations lies entirely at Dr. Kim's feet. He will have an opportunity to take back the rubber stamp and help make right any violations the CAO finds. His decision on Tata Mundra will be a referendum on his ability to protect the health and environment of those impacted by the World Bank. We're hoping he lives up to his reputation.
Nicole Ghio is a Sierra Club Campaign Liaison. This piece was originally published at the Sierra Club's Compass Blog and was reprinted with permission.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateprogress/lCrX/~3/HZe5YDH2N2U/story01.htm
Friday, August 31, 2007
India's Big Plans for Biodiesel
This year, the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), an Indian research group, launched a 10-year, $9.4 million project to research issues involved in taking jatropha from seed to filling station.
...He and other researchers at TERI spent five years testing different mycorrhiza microorganisms, symbiotic fungi that improve the ability of many plants to grow in poor soil.
...The TERI project is working in rural Andra Pradesh, a state in southeast India, collaborating with local financial institutions to develop loan guarantees to fund seed purchases; it's also collaborating with insurers to back the farmers against potential losses.
...The goal is to have 8,000 hectares under cultivation by March 2008, and Adholeya says that the success of the first crops has drawn interest from many more farmers.
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