Scrap 635mw coal-based power plant at Matarbari

Some 144 civil society organisations (CSOs) across the country jointly submitted letters Monday to the Advisers of the Ministries of Finance, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR), and the Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) demanding the cancellation of the proposed 635 MW coal-fired power plant to be installed by Orion Group in Matarbari, Maheshkhali, Cox's Bazar. They submitted the letters considering the risks to the environment, climate, public health, and economy.

These CSOs in collaboration with the Bangladesh Working Group on Ecology and Development (BWGED), have also urged the cancellation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), and the withdrawal of allocated loans and land leases for the Orion's coal-fired power plant project.

If the project is implemented, it will emit approximately 461,000 tonnes of CO2 annually along with large quantities of other harmful gases, fly ash, and bottom ash posing serious threats to public health, biodiversity, and the marine ecosystem.

Azizjst@yahoo.com