SAHIWAL COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT: THE UNTOLD TRUTH

The Sahiwal Power Plant is an organization which always abides by the strictest standards in the whole process of construction and operation and ensures all work is conducted in compliance with laws and regulations of all levels. To find out the true condition of the local residents mentioned in an article published by a local newspaper, the employees of Sahiwal Power Plant went to the village to visit them on the same day the article was posted. The villagers there unanimously rejected the accusations made in the report. Dr Allah Ditta, the only doctor in the village, rejected the accused health effects in the article. “Nobody got ill or sick due to Sahiwal Power Plant and the accusations are baseless,” he said. The lady mentioned in the report got the breathing issue 10 years ago, which was before the power plant was built, and so is the case with other people suffering health issues. “The tap water in the village has already some problems before the erection of the power plant and it’s not due to the power plant,” the villagers say. “The health issues of the villagers before and after the construction of the power plant are the same, and they have nothing to do with the power plant,” the doctor said. Israr, who was mentioned in the report, said that he and his mother got no problem due to Sahiwal Power Plant. In fact, he is very grateful that electricity is now available 24/7 because of the power plant and many people of his village got jobs at Sahiwal Power Plant. Some villagers reiterated that they had no such issues due to Sahiwal Power Plant and they would love to visit this power plant in future. In response to the environmental concern, the reality is quite the opposite to what the report implicates. The company has placed highest priority on environmental protection since its foundation in Pakistan. The world’s most advanced environmental protection equipment such as FGD, ESP, Low NOx Burners, etc, have been put into operation simultaneously with the generation units, and they are all run by local employees. The emissions of Sahiwal Power Plant are maintained well below the design value and far superior than the PEQS, NEQS and World Bank standard. For example, regarding the emission standards of SOx, the NEQS Pakistan, World Bank Standard, EU Standard, Japanese Standard are 1700 mg/Nm³, 850 mg/Nm³, 200 mg/Nm³, 172 mg/Nm³ respectively, while the SOx emission of Sahiwal Power Plant is as low as 90 mg/Nm³, much lower than the strictest standard. The total emission of this power plant is much less than a brick kiln. To ensure the accuracy and fairness of the emission data, EPA-certified third party environmental monitoring agencies are engaged to monitoring the quality of air, water and soil to ensure full compliance to standards. Meanwhile, a number of monitoring stations has been set up in the vicinity to monitor the air quality to ensure that it has no adverse effect on the crops or orchards of the surrounding villages. And the allegation that the floodlights from lamp destroyed the crops, totally conflicts with the biological and physical theories. With the installation of state-of-the-art environmental protection equipment, high-standard management, and plantation of more than 60,000 trees and 140,000 square meters’ turfs, Sahiwal Power Plant is a true example of environmental friendly project and wins the Annual Environment Excellence Award of National Forum for Environment and Health of Pakistan in 2019. According to the world’s common practice of power construction, the site selection of a power plant should be at the load center. Sahiwal power plant is at this center with three major power consuming cities in its vicinity i.e. Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan, which used to cry out for electricity to overcome power crisis. The water used for power production is primarily sourced from Lower Bari Doab Canal and the Plant pay that to local Irrigation Department on monthly basis. Only a small quantity of groundwater is pumped, which is mainly for potable and domestic use. And the fluctuation of groundwater level is usually caused by the variation of precipitation and water level of the canal nearby but not by the power plant. It is proved when we compare the level with that of areas without no power plant. Zero Emission of wastewater has been realized in Sahiwal Power Plant through comprehensive treatment by the Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Facilities. As the ground water samples are tested by the EPA-certified third party, there is no pollution of ground water caused by Sahiwal Power Plant. As per the data of water survey in feasibility studies of Sahiwal Project in 2014, the amounts of arsenic and other salts in ground water remain the same before and after the operation of this power plant. To date, Sahiwal Power Plant has produced more than 21.2 billion Kilowatt-hours of cheap and clean energy, which has filled a quarter of power shortfall in Pakistan and meets the electricity demand of more than 4 million typical households. As per NTDCL, Sahiwal Power Plant is the most reliable Plant in Pakistan. It has significantly alleviated the power crisis in Pakistan, while promoting the poverty relief of locals and boosting economic development of Pakistan. As a long-term social contribution plan, a technical training school was built and run by the company. It was inaugurated this year to provide free education and technical training to locals. Till now, three batches of technical and language training have been conducted for the welfare of locals, and 100 unskilled young people have become skilled manpower. The company has organized more than 20 social activities for public good. In hearty response to PM Imran Khan’s appeal, the company specially launched tree plantation campaign and donation activities for Diamer Bhasha Dam, as well as charitable donation, flood disaster relief and poverty relief activities in Pakistan.