KARACHI: While discussing pros and cons of a proposed coal-fired electricity generation project at a public hearing, stakeholders called upon the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) to ensure independent monitoring of the venture.

The agency had organised the programme in a local hotel to record public concerns over K-Electric’s 420-megawatt coal-fired thermal power plant that has been planned to be set up in the Port Qasim area.

Giving a presentation on the venture, the project director and deputy chief operating officer of K-Electric, Abid Mehmood, said the company owned and operated the 1,260MW Bin Qasim Power Station 1 (BQPS-1) and 560MW Bin Qasim Power Station 2.

Both power stations, he said, were located within the company’s 70.8 hectare property in the Port Qasim industrial area. The BQPS-1 comprised six dual-fired (oil and gas) units each with an installed power generation capacity of 210MW.

“To run its power generation assets, about 200 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) of natural gas is required. An additional 225MMCFD gas is needed for BQPS-1. However, over the past few years the annual supply of natural gas has dropped, which has forced the company to operate BQPS-I units more on high sulfur fuel oil,” he said.

Given the estimates of natural gas reserves in the county, he said, gas supplies to the company were not expected to improve in the near future whereas the cost of oil was three times more than that of gas and a higher use of oil would have a direct bearing on the consumer, he said.

The audience were told about the project’s key components and it was pointed out that coal for the plant would be imported from Indonesia. But it was said that the planned facility would have the provision to use Thar lignite which, when available in suitable quantities, would be blended with imported coal so as to achieve the design specifications of boilers.

The company, he said, was making use of an expensive technology (ash electrostatic precipitators with ash handling conveyors) to ensure zero emissions in air.

“It’s our commitment to keep city’s environment clean and there would be no hazardous discharge,” he remarked.

The conversion, he said, would take place in two phases. In the first phase, two units of BQPS-1 would be converted and made operational and later more units would be shifted on coal.

Syed Nadeem Arif of the Environmental Management Consultant, the company that carried out an EIA of the project and prepared the report, said it showed that the project would meet national environmental quality standards for all parameters; the proposed stack height of 150 metre was appropriate; the total emission of all pollutants would likely reduce with coal conversion project.

During the question-answer session, most participants were of the view that the project proponents needed to make use of indigenous coal. At this point, it was clarified by K-Electric that local coal was not available for use and till the government made investment in that sector, there was no option but to import coal, which was inexpensive but of good quality.

The second important concern raised at the gathering was related to waste management and hazardous air emissions from the plant. Participants asked the provincial environmental watchdog to ensure that all commitments being made by the company were implemented in letter and spirit.

There was a need that the project was monitored by an independent committee comprising academicians and experts to ward off any threat to public health during plant’s construction and operation, they said.

Replying to concerns regarding disposal of fly ash, a participant told the audience that a by-product of coal fired power plants, flue or fly ash was considered as a ‘non-hazardous waste’ in America as well as European countries and had a number of applications. For instance, the use of fly ash as building material allowed energy savings and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

A heated debate also ensued between officials representing K-Electric and Sino-Hydro Resources Limited, a Chinese company which is building a 1,200MW coal-fired power generation plant in close proximity of the K-Electric project.

After hearing both parties’ arguments mainly relating to land allotment, Sepa director general suggested that they consult the Port Qasim Authority on the issue.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2014