Imapact Assessment

Question: Write an essay on Imapact Assessment. Answer: Introduction Environmental Impact Assessment or EIA is a method which is used to assess the impact of certain product or service on the nearby environment including the effect on air, water, soil, noise etc. The EIA helps in understanding the various causes which can negatively impact the environment and hence, helps in developing the suitable measures for the sustainable development. Lifecycle Assessment technique or LCA is used to understand the impact on this report. This paper analyzes the environmental impact of a thermal power project. These thermal power projects are considered to be one of the major sources of pollution which affects the complete environment, rather than a single element. Environmental Impact Assessment The various elements involved in the process of development of power through the thermal power project are shown in the diagram below. As we can see the whole process can be divided into three different operational parts: coal mining, transportation and the power production. Each of these operational units contributes separately towards the environmental pollution and energy usage(Spath, Mann, Kerr, 1999). Furthermore, different processes of each operational unit can be broken down as shown in the figure below: Thus the EIA for the three activities can be listed out as follows: Mining Process: The process involves excavation of coal for the power plant. The initial stages of the LCA shows that the process impacts the environment by the development of the mining equipment which calls for the usage of energy (Bergerson Lave, 2002). The surface and the underground mining process involve excavation of the coal from the earth, which is a non-renewable source. Also, the coal dust is formed during the process which affects the air quality of the area(Spath, Mann, Kerr, 1999) Transportation: Most of the coal is transported from mines to power plant using the railway engines or conveyors. These railway enginesthe process of manufacturing, transporting and decommissioning affects the air, water and soil quality in the end. By the end of the lifecycle, it is required for these railway cars and tracks to be recycled and reused. (Spath, Mann, Kerr, 1999) Power plant emissions and other factors changes over the period of time (Mbohwa, 2013). The operation of a power project impacts almost all areas of nature. The power plants emit gases in the form of SOx and NOx along with the carbon monoxide which affect the air quality of the area. The power project also uses water and discharges waste water in the end which needs to be used in some way to control the water pollution of the area. The ash left after the burning of coal is another byproduct. Most of the time, this ash is used for the landfilling purpose, but such landfilling kills the fertility of the soil(Kumar, Katoria, Sehgal, 2013). The power plant operation also results in deforestation of the area and changes the noise level of the area (Eurelectric, 2011). Conclusion As seen above the power project causes huge environmental impact and hence appropriate steps need to be taken at each step in the life cycle of the project to ensure that the impact on the environment is minimal. Reference: Bergerson, J., Lave, L. (2002). A Life Cycle Analysis of Electricity Generation Technologies:Health and Environmental Implications of Alternative Fuels and Technologies. Retrieved 02 15, 2016, from https://wpweb2.tepper.cmu.edu/ceic/pdfs/ceic_03_05.pdf Eurelectric. (2011). Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation. Retrieved 02 15, 2016, from EURELECTRIC: https://www.eurelectric.org/media/26740/report-lca-resap-final-2011-420-0001-01-e.pdf Kumar, S., Katoria, D., Sehgal, D. (2013). Environment Impact Assessment of Thermal Power Plant for Sustainable Development. International Journal of Environmental Engineering and Management, 4(6), 567-572. Mbohwa, C. (2013). Life Cycle Assessment of a Coal-fired Old. London: WCE. Spath, P. L., Mann, M. K., Kerr, D. R. (1999). Life Cycle Assessment of Coal-fired Power Production. Colorado : National Renewable Energy Laboratory.