(Bloomberg) — South Korea’s plan to co-burn ammonia at a coal-fired power plant could release thousands of tonnes of a toxic gas known to cause breathing problems, lung disease and genetic damage into the atmosphere, a new analysis has found.
Burning ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide but does release fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, according to a report from Solutions for Our Climate and the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The two nonprofits argued that South Korea should accelerate its transition away from coal and towards renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
One reason why Asian economic powers such as South Korea and Japan are reluctant to transition away from coal-fired power generation is that many of these countries' coal-fired power plants are newer than those in other regions such as North America and Europe. This is because closure could lead to impairment losses. According to the International Energy Agency's 2021 report, the average age of coal-fired power plants in the United States is 41 years, compared to 21 years in Japan and South Korea.
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South Korea remains heavily dependent on coal. The most polluting fossil fuel will account for 34% of the country's power generation in 2021, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) plans to co-fire about half of the country's coal-fired power with 20% ammonia by 2030. announced. .
The authors say that if ammonia co-firing goes ahead as currently planned, the amount of fine dust emitted in South Chungcheong Province, a southwestern province on the Korean peninsula where many power plants are located, is expected to increase by more than 50 percent to 8,430 tonnes. South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy did not respond to phone and text messages seeking comment.
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