In Greece there is a serious discussion about whether the exploitation of lignite deposits should continue or it should be replaced by other, mostly renewable energy sources.
Greece has large amounts of cheap lignite. Its most usual use is in the units of energy production of our PPC (Public Power Company)
However, lignite is a fossil fuel which is the least CO2-emission effective (with large CO2 emissions/kWh). Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that is contributing to recent climate change.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/causes.html
More specifically, the focus of this discussion is the possible construction of a new unit of PPC (Ptolemaida V, 600MW), near the city of Ptolemaida, Central Greece. The unit has a budget of 1.4 bn ? (1.5 bn USD) and it will burn lignite which is mined in large lignite mines of the nearby area.
It is calculated that the new unit will emit 12.6 thousands of tones of CO2 , about 6 tones of SO2 , 8 tones of NOx and 400 kg of dangerous smog particles per day!!!
Many environmental organizations, with WWF leading, react to the construction of the lignite unit in Ptolemaida and have presented a technical and economical study which shows that the previous study of sustainability made in 2010 has been based on data which are untrustworthy today.
http://www.wwf.gr/images/pdfs/Ptolemaida%20V_Alteranives_EN.pdf (In English)
This study also points out that:
1) The funding of this unit by the EU is doubted because coaling units with emissions over 550gr/kWh are no longer funded. Ptolemaida V will have almost double those emissions.
2) An increase for the rights to emit CO2 is expected, particularly after the very important agreement between US-China for the decrease of CO2 emissions in both countries. The new lignite unit is estimated to be active until 2050.
3) Today, the cost of energy of some alternative energy sources starts reaching the cost of lignite, and the future cost of renewable energy sources is expected to decrease.
4) The most important argument for the construction of the lignite unit is the instability of the renewable sources of energy (mainly wind turbines and solar panels) which may lead to a possible lack of safety of the Greek energy system. This need, according to the research of WWF may be completely covered by the use of hydroelectric dams, (common in Greece) as sources of energy saving in combination with the renewable energy sources.
The supporters of this investment in Greece (e.g. the Technical Chamber of Greece), consider the new lignite unit to be of strategic importance for the country. They do not consider this investment competitive to renewable energy sources.
The supporters of the lignite energy startegy, I am afraid, do not take into account the health damage to 35.000 people leaving in the city of Ptolemaida, and to 55.000 people in the nearby area.
In addition they do not take seriously the pollution of the environment, as they consider economic growth to be the most important factor to the decisions.
Protesting against the construction of the lignite unit in Greece, 50.000 people have signed a petition of Avaaz organization with the slogan "Say no to the monster of PPC"
https://secure.avaaz.org/el/to_vromiko_sxedio_tis_deh_7/?pv=66&rc=fb
The economic crisis in Greece and the need of having fossil fuels in case of an emergency, but also the a great deal of employment that is in danger in case of interruption of lignite production, are some factors that stand for the creation of the coal unit.
It seems that once more the economic crisis leads to decisions against the environment.
There is need to spread environmental awareness in order to convince the decision makers that the conventional pollution technology is not only dangerous but also, as argumented into WWF study, not more economically effective.
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10 Comments
Thank you for the web searching, Konstantinos. As you mentioned, so called cartel system strongly build in the energy sector looks like a great wall. But the change has been made in Korea(super-high energy consuming country). We are turning into a new era of electricity distribution. There will and must be resistant from the old system but they will end up with admitting changing notion of energy supply system(networking electricity). Let's be optimistic and look up for the changes coming along the way. :-)
Posted 20-04-2015 11:10
Thanks for the interesting comments everyone! Christy, I did not know about it so a looked it up and a grid system is such a nice idea! I'm pretty sure it would solve many problems, but i am also pretty sure that many people would not like it to happen... Energy making is one of the most profitable industries in the world. Currently Greece buys natural gas from Russia in very high prices, for instance, so it would be much cheaper to buy energy :( But let's not be pessimistic, we have to really create this Grid system some time soon, so that every nation will be able to use renewable energy sources with enough stability.
Posted 17-04-2015 15:17
Resistance to renewable energy programs and policies in Greece seems to be deep rooted. Decision makers in Greece are looking at short time benefits and ignoring the sustainability and hazardous environment impact by using environmentally-destructive lignite ('dirty coal') as the primary source of energy . Thanks for highlighting the concern here.
Posted 15-04-2015 18:11
If I'm not mistaken, coal or lignite is quite efficient in energy generating process. It has constant reaction or by the time, the amount of heat will increase. Conversely, Pollution and environmental damage resulted by lignite usage cannot be avoided.
Indonesia has some similarity to Greece where coal is one of our mining commodities. This business has been gaining popularity among the entrepreneurs, so many people have invested in coal mining. On the other hand, we are facing energy crisis since energy demand rises significantly.
I guess, we can't avoided lignite usage since we need a big amount of energy. But, I hope the method of generating energy from lignite can be renewed so the environmental damage can be reduced. And I think, the development of lignite power station should be limited and controlled. I guess, it should be a temporary solution to energy crisis. When the government has solved economic crisis, they should invest time, man power and money to renewable and eco-friendly sources as the substitute for lignite.
I pray the best for Greece. Thanks Konstantinos! Your article is so informative. :)
Posted 15-04-2015 14:24
@Rohan Thank you for the supportive comment :)
Posted 15-04-2015 09:51
Nice informative article indeed..economics always play a big role in policy decisions, but time has come to think beyond the line!!! Thx for the article Konstantinos..
Posted 14-04-2015 21:40
@ Christy, Grid system is a great idea. World leaders must unite to take such massive action
Well reported with graphs etc. Konstantios. Sustainable energy is the best solution but I think we are many years away from it.
Therefore, existing methods must be made pollution free as far as possible.
Posted 14-04-2015 20:33
Thank you for sharing the wonderful article, Kontantinos. I think the biggest problem is that they don't consider the health of their citizen. Stable electricity supply is of course important for our daily life and industrial development. But you know, we should think about how to use the electricity more wisely, like bringing Grid system(smart electricity, similar to world wide web system).
Posted 14-04-2015 11:38
Dear Konstantinos, I am so sorry to see the economic crisis and it's probable lead to environmental issues in Greece. Though fossil fuels like lignite seem to have lots of immediate merits like job, energy supply but we know that it is not sustainable. Development without sustainability is a waste of money, time and energy. I hope the citizens gt aware of these things and collective effort be in favor to ban lignite unit in Ptolemaida.
Thank you for sharing dear Konstantios :)
Posted 14-04-2015 11:24
Well spoken article Konstantinos! Facts and appropriate resource links are the best element for getting attention. I thought lignite is no longer in use most of the developed countries so your article was surprising. Regardless of economic crisis, I guess it's time to think about the sustainable way of power generation. :) Thanks Konstantinos!
Posted 14-04-2015 10:48