The power plant is being set up at a cost of approximately $2 billion under the Indian government’s concessional financing scheme

Experts, academics and project officials are optimistic that the coal-fired Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant in Rampal, Bagerhat, will be able to avert the adverse environmental impacts as long as there is continuous monitoring.

They have demanded that the suggestions put forward by green activists and the conditions imposed by the authorities are implemented properly.

The pollution of the air, water and ecology in the vicinity of the plant – located about 14km north-eastward of the Nalian Range of the Sundarbans and 4km away from the Ecologically Critical Area boundary – will be much lower than traditional coal plants, like the one operating at Barapukuria in Dinajpur, because of the supercritical technology,  they told Dhaka Tribune.

“The plant authorities will use some modern equipment brought from China…pollution levels will be lower if the project officials follow mitigation measures and monitor the operations properly,” said Prof Abdullah Harun Chowdhury, head of environmental science at Khulna University.

“This does not mean the plant does not generate pollution. Only cautious moves can bring about benefits. Any carelessness in this project, however little, is unacceptable,” he told Dhaka Tribune.  

The commercial operation of the first unit (660MW) of the plant is scheduled to begin once the premiers of Bangladesh and India inaugurate it in New Delhi. The unit was successfully synchronized with the national grid on August 15.

The power plant is being set up at a cost of approximately $2 billion under the Indian government’s concessional financing scheme. It is being built by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited for the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Private Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture company between India’s National Thermal Power Company Ltd (NTPC) and Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).

In 2013, the Department of Environment (DoE) gave the EIA a green signal after eight revisions and imposed a number of conditions to protect the World Heritage Site, declared by Unesco, and Pashur River, which is a sweet-water dolphin sanctuary.

The DoE will follow the plant’s activities, including the emission of toxic gases, through an online monitoring system, officials have said.

Initiated in 2010, the project obtained location clearance from the DoE on May 23, 2011 upon 12 conditions.

The BPDB then claimed that it would use supercritical technology and ensure “proper mitigation measures” to cut emissions of hazardous gases, including carbon dioxide, fine particles and fly ash, and properly dispose of the solid and liquid wastes.

Subhash Chandra Pandey, project director of Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited, told Dhaka Tribune that the power plant was built by using supercritical technology to actively mitigate environmental impact. 

“Coal-fired power plants use a lot of water as a coolant, and a major problem with traditional plants is that they release large amounts of hot water directly into the environment,” Pandey said.

Although the water contains no contaminants, most marine life is extremely sensitive to temperature changes and hence heavily affected by hot water discharge.

“The new power plant includes facilities to cool the water before it is discharged in order to address this issue,” the project director added.

He noted that the power plant has the tallest chimney in Bangladesh (275 metres) for a wider dispersion of gas emissions.

“An electrostatic precipitator (ESP) is used to remove dust particles from the smoke before it is released through the chimney. A desulphurization machine also removes any sulphur, so that the smoke that is released from the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant will largely be harmless,” he said.

The construction of an advanced ship unloader for coal, a fully covered coal stockyard, and the use of high-grade imported coal with low ash and sulphur content, are also among the measures taken to reduce the environmental impact of the plant, the project director added. 

Despite the government’s firm resolve to implement the project and insistence that it will not be harmful, the EIA spelt out some concerns, including environmental and social impacts of the project. It suggested mitigation plans after evaluating the impact. 

The EIA also covers hazard and risk management, and detailed plans for environmental management and monitoring.

On emission of carbon dioxide, a key factor behind global warming, the EIA says: “CO2 is the major resultant pollutant after using the highly efficient modern thermal power plant. Socio-economic improvement will be significant for the south-west region in future.”

Environmentalists based in Khulna and Dhaka have plans to organise protests as the first unit of power plant is ready for inauguration. They claim that the plant will pose a danger to the natural environment in the region. 

Khulna Divisional Coordinator of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers’ Association (BELA) Mahfuzur Rahman Mukul said they know little about supercritical technology. “We are doubtful that this technology will cut down pollution. It is also not believable that hot water will not be discharged into the river.

“Moreover, every coal-laden vessel capsizing in the rivers of the Sundarbans will have a negative impact on the ecology of the area.” 

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) Mongla unit convener Md Noor Alam Sheikh said: “The world knows how bad coal is, which is why heads of states at the UN Climate Conference discussed putting a stop to its use.

“There is nothing to be said in defense of coal. It is harmful to health, nature and the environment.” 

He said that dependence on coal needs to be reduced. 

“If nature does not last, people will not either. Hence, the people of this region are becoming more aware of the negative effects of coal,” he added. 

Ruhin Hossain Prince, general secretary of Bangladesh Communist Party’s central committee, said that the government has had to delay the Rampal project. 

“Not even a quarter of the projects planned for Rampal are being implemented,” he said.

According to environmentalists, the Rampal power plant is a threat not only to the Sundarbans but also the greater south and southwestern region. 

They say that the toxins from coal have already started to infiltrate the Sundarbans. Moreover, coal-carrying cargoes are spreading toxins into the rivers snaking through the mangrove forest. 

Prof Dr Md Mustafa Saroar, head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet), stressed continuous monitoring to mitigate the environmental impact of the project. 

He said a detailed survey was done to assess the impacts of the power plant on the environment and society. Nearly fifty mitigation measures were suggested in the survey report. 

The professor said that it will be possible to mitigate the impacts on air, water and the ecology if the suggestions are implemented properly. 

“The importance of a strong monitoring system is different for big projects and small projects. Suggestions are often not implemented properly due to poor monitoring,” he added.