EFFECTS OF NOROCHCHOLAI COAL POWER PLANT PROJECT

BEYOND TODAYGROUP No:05

Introduction of the Project:

Name of Project : Norochcholai Coal Power Plant

Project Goals : Construction of a 300 MW Coal Fired. Thermal Power Plant, with Infrastructure for a 900 MW Power Plant.

Project Purpose : To cater for the Increasing demand of Electricity from the year 2010.

Total Estimate Cost : US$ 455Mn

Implementation Agency: • Development of Access Roads to Plant Site - CEB/RDA • Electricity Supply to Power Station Site for Construction - CEB • Housing Construction for Resettlement - CEB • Design construction of the Power Plant & Infrastructure - CEB

Donor : EXIM Bank - China

Site Location

Narakaliya 2 km from Norochcholai Town

Norochcholai is a Costal Village

15 Km of West of Puttalam Town and 120 km from Colombo

Residence – Mixed (Roman Catholics and Muslims)

Livelihood - Farming and Fishing

Project area 470 meters X 1980 meters

• Negative impacts to the talawila shrine

• Dust from the coal stockpile covering large acreage will be a danger to devotees in open camps and shrine itself

• Coal stockpile itself will create a large amount of dust

• Higher temperature chasing the marine life away while harming the breading. Nearly 5000 families engaged in this fishing industry will be definitely loose of their livelihood

• Security restrictions due to the 4.2 km conveyor belt into the sea

• Dumping of bottom ash in the land fillings and the seepage to the water table will cause severe hardships to agriculture

SOCIAL ASPECTS

• Sulphur composition in the fly ash settling on the crop and daily watering of the farmland

• National salterns at palavi and puttalam which has a total extent of around 1200 acres will also suffer as a result of coal dust and fly ash contaminating the salt production

• Sprinklers to cover this facility will taken from the ground water resource will starve the agricultural crops and even the drinking water wells will dry up in addition to seepage of seawater.

Ctn……

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

• Emission of gasses– Green house gases - CO2 and CO ,SOx and NOx

• Acid rains– Due to SOx and NOx

• Discharge of warm water to sea • Ash and coal dust • Coastal erosion• Noise

Resettlement

80 Families relocated in Daluwa

Most of them were mostly illegal settlers

•Each family got; 20 perch block, 500 square feet house with 2 bed rooms, one living room, kitchen, Toilet and Drinking water well, Community hall. 300 perch land for agriculture - farming families)

The Government has spent Rs.936 million for all the above activities.

300 perch land for agriculture - farming families) (Fisherman will get fishing Gear, Bicycle etc)

SOLUTIONS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Sulfur - Use Low Sulfur Coal Use Scrubbers

Solution for Fly-ash - Use electrostatic precipitators and subsequently.

Bottom ash - It is proposed to deposit these in a dedicated landfill facility.

Coal dust - Spray water. Planting trees around site perimeter

DISCHARGE OF WARM WATER TO SEA - limited to 1000 sq meters (2.5 acres) of the Indian Ocean.

COASTAL EROSION DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF COAL UNLOADING JETTY - constructed on cylindrical piles

GREEN HOUSE GASES - Global effects on the proposed plant is negligible

PROPOSED MITIGATION MEASURES FOR GAS EMISSIONS

- NOx are controlled by using low NOx burners.

- Smoke emissions will be released from 150 meter tall chimneys

SUMMERY

IntroductionSocial aspectsEnvironmental impactsSolutions