Page 13 - AsiaElec Week 24 2021

AsiaElec NEWS IN BRIEF AsiaElec

BATTERIES However, the target still falls behind the coal power project in
recently updated targets of Japan and the US,
ION Energy commences as set out in their climate plans submitted Bangladesh
to the UN ahead of the COP26 summit in
exploration at Mongolian Glasgow in December. The Banskhali S. Alam power project is a
The Leader of the ruling Democratic Party
1320 (2×660) MW coal power station under
Baavhai Uul lithium salar Song Young-gil told parliament that “We must construction in Chattogram, Bangladesh.
present a national greenhouse gas reduction
The plant is being built by Shandong Electric
project target of at least 40% and implement it within Power Construction Corporation (SEPCOIII),
eight years.”
a subsidiary of PowerChina, a Chinese central
ION Energy announced its exploration He said that South Korea’s current goal government enterprise. Most of the project
commencement at its Mongolia-based of slashing emissions by 24.4% by 2030 is financed through a $1.8bn loan from a
Baavhai Uul Lithium Salar Project, Proactive “is absolutely low compared to developed consortium of Chinese banks.
has reported. countries”. CREA obtained the Environmental Impact
The exploration team has built 12 Campaigners said the proposed 2030 Assessment (EIA) of the project and has
personnel camps on site and a drilling rig on goal is not ambitious enough. According evaluated the key air quality-related parts of
site and core drilling has started, while truck- to Climate Analytics, South Korea should the document, discovering several instances
mounted auger drilling is expected on site slash emissions at least 59% by 2030 as a fair of erroneous or false information, as well as
within weeks. contribution to the Paris Agreement. unlawful omissions.
ION Energy now holds licences for over “Considering that neighbouring Japan has The analysis of the EIA is co-published
110,000 hectares. announced [a national emissions target] of 46- with Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers
Meanwhile, the company has begun 50% below 2013 levels, Korea must do more Association (BELA) and Bangladesh Working
an expanded programme to fast-track the in order to establish its climate leadership, Group on External Debt (BWGED).
exploration of its lithium salar projects in especially as a candidate to host Cop28,” The EIA contains errors and omissions that
Mongolia. Drilling has commenced on at said Joojin Kim, managing director of South would have been caught by the environmental
least 21 drill holes through the highlighted Korean campaign group Solutions For Our regulator if appropriate oversight was in
prospective basins. Sampling of sediments and Climate. place. This is an alarming indication of lack
aquifers will be completed during the drilling Coal remains a big problem for the of oversight by Bangladeshi authorities,
phase. country. Coal fired power generation accounts and disregard for Environmental Impact
for 40% of total electricity output. South Assessment guidelines and standards by the
Korea has not set a date for ending coal project proponents.
power and has 7.2 GW of coal capacity under The EIA is not publicly available, which in
EMISSIONS construction, according to Global Energy itself is a major transparency issue.
Monitor data. A CREA assessment of the air quality
South Korea proposes and health impacts of proposed coal power
plant projects in Chattogram found that,
cutting emissions 40% by COAL-FIRED GENERATION collectively, their emissions would be
responsible for an estimated 30,000 air
2030 pollution-related deaths over an operating life
of 30 years. Furthermore, mercury emissions
The South Korean government has proposed CREA analysis reveals from the plants would lead to potentially
cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at major flaws in dangerous levels of mercury deposition in an
least 40% by 2030, using 2017 levels as a area with an estimated 7.4mn inhabitants. The
benchmark environmental paperwork scale of these impacts shows the severity of the
The new 40% target is a major increase for omissions made in the preparation of the EIA.
the country, which is reliant on imported coal of China-backed Banskhali CREA
and other fossil fuels.
COAL-FIRED GENERATION

Queensland’s coal power

stations in danger

Queensland’s publicly owned coal fired power
stations could become a drain on taxpayer
funds, with a new assessment finding that
some may never again be profitable.
A new analysis produced by the
Queensland Conservation Council has
forecast the profitability of the Queensland
government’s owned coal generation
businesses, including Stanwell Corporation
and CS Energy, predicting they will be losing
money by 2023-24.

Week 24 16•June•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13