Cheap electricity has environmental cost

Published: April 20, 2010 - 02:00 PM

Australia pays for its reliance on coal-fired electricity

The environmental price Australia pays for its reliance on coal-fired electricity is shown in the high pollution levels recorded near power stations. Coal-fired power stations may provide cheaper electricity than other forms of generation, however they emitting millions of kilograms of pollutants into the atmosphere, with the potential to be a hazard to both health and the environment.

A recent article in the SMH says the Hunter Valley and the Lithgow regions are rated as New South Wales' most polluted areas because of the number of coal-based activities there. Singleton is one of the worst towns, surrounded by at least seven mines which together produced more than 18 million kilograms of dust, 7.4 million kilograms of nitrogen oxides and 4.9 million kilograms of carbon monoxide in the 2008-09 year.

Figures from the National Pollutants Inventory reveal the six largest NSW power stations produced more than 160 million kilograms of nitrogen oxides, 5 million kilograms of carbon monoxide and a 235 million kilograms of sulphur dioxide, which can irritates eyes and throat and can cause headaches and anxiety.

In contrast, renewable energy produced only a fraction of those emissions. The Eastern Creek renewable energy facility, for example, reported 100,000 kilograms of carbon monoxide, 32,000 kilograms of nitrogen oxides and 10,000 kilograms of sulphur dioxide.

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