While we are busy beating ourselves with Shahbagi, Hefazoti, BAL, BNP Jamaati, the incumbent BAL govt is going ahead with the proposed construction of 1320 MW Coal fire Power Plant at Rampal, Sundarban, with India.
On April 20, 2013, three agreements were signed between the Bangladeshi state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) and the Indian state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) have agreed to jointly develop the plant in very environmentally sensitive area in Bangladesh following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Dhaka and New Delhi in 2010.
There has been riots in that area in the past over the issue and even the local BAL MP opposed the decision of the proposed power plant which is set to destroy our Sundarbans.
Here are some of the very very alarming facts:
- It will be built at Rampal, Bagerhat, which is about only 10-15 kms away from Sundarban. The project will take away about 1834 acres of land.
- NTPC already backed off from building one on the Indian side of the Sundarban after protest from their local people.
- A 50:50 Joint venture, with Debt Equity ratio 70:30.
That mean, 30 percent of the estimated USD 1.5 billion would have to provided by the two countries (BD 15%, India 15%) and the rest is to be borrowed from financial institutes.
- Despite Bangladesh having to sacrifice 1834 acres of land and the possible destruction of the her own eco system and Sundarban, India will have an equal share of the ownership of the power plant.
Some more interesting facts:
- Bangladesh last month waived tax on the dividends to be earned as profit by NTPC from the power plant project paving the way for signing the deals. The country's tax regulator National Board of Revenue (NBR) waived the tax on NTPC's dividends for 10 years, following request from the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.
This is the first-ever instance that the government has exempted a foreign firm in the power sector from paying tax on dividends. NTPC had been demanding the tax waiver, which held up the progress in the first-ever joint venture power plant project involving the two neighbouring countries in South Asia.
The BPDB will, however, have to pay tax on its dividends as the NBR did not waive it for the Bangladeshi company.
Now that was the financial mumbo jumbo part.
Now, lets see the environmental effect on the Sundarban :
Quote:
The report also reveals that the most likely impacts from the thermal power plants are deterioration of surface water quality due to sediment runoff, runoff from coal yard, and discharge thermal plume. It presumes that the water quality will reduce due to leakage and spillage of oil and chemical. It continues, ‘Excess mining of ground water intake for cooling purpose may reduce the ground water level, subsequently killing juvenile fish and other micro lives in water resources.’
Coal is one of the large toxic emitters. It emits carbon mono-oxide, carbon dioxide, sulphuric acid, which are risky to bio-diversity. Even when coal is kept on soil, it emits hydro-carbonates that usually mix up with the soil. Due to this, plants do not grow in these areas later on.
Moreover, a large amount of sweet water, mainly from surface and deep underground sources, will be needed in cooling the machines and in the recycling process of the steam. The discharged and waste water will affect the flora and fauna. Coal burning emissions and greenhouse gas will pass over the Sundarbans in dry seasons when wind blows from north to south, affecting the trees heavily. ‘In monsoon there will be acid rain that will severely affect the green land, vegetation and habitat,’ says Engineer Inamul Haque.
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Source :
https://openblogbd.wordpress.com/tag...l-power-plant/
Bangladesh will derive an economic benefit of TK 3000 crore per year from the power plant while the cost would be TK 5000 crore. So, approx Tk 2000 negative effect, approx 2000 acres of land lost, loss of vegetation, plantation and habitat and the possible destruction of Sundarban, with an equal equity favoured by tax benefit, Bangladesh is building this power plant with India, who themselves have a policy of not building any such within 25 kms of locality.
Well done BAL
Not only you have managed to mess up everything you have touched over the last 5 years, now you are on course to help set up another possible destruction of Bangladesh. Before India destroyed our North Bengal with Farakka and now going to destroy the South with this Power Plant.
I think its time we rise against this power plant and stop this BAL thugs to destroy our country.
Sources:
Bangladeshi Environmentalist Protests:
http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.co...8yXzE2NzAyOA==
Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network raises questions too
http://www.aecen.org/stories/power-d...-eia-clearance
Penn Energy Reports :
Coal fire Power Plant to hit Sundarban
http://www.pennenergy.com/wirenews/p...undarbans.html
Reports and more in details:
https://openblogbd.wordpress.com/tag...l-power-plant/
Would love to hear more from the experts on this issue.