Abstract
Air pollution is a persistent and well-established public health problem in India: emissions from coal-fired power plants have been associated with over 80,000 premature deaths in 2015. Premature deaths could rise by four to five times this number by 2050 without additional pollution controls. We site a model 500 MW coal-fired electricity generating unit at eight locations in India and examine the benefits and costs of retrofitting the plant with a flue-gas desulfurization unit to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. We quantify the mortality benefits associated with the reduction in sulfates (fine particles) and value these benefits using estimates of the value per statistical life transferred to India from high income countries. The net benefits of scrubbing vary widely by location, reflecting differences in the size of the exposed population. They are highest at locations in the densely populated north of India, which are also among the poorest states in the country.
Highlights
In addition to contributing to climate change, air pollution from coal-fired power plants can cause significant health problems for local and regional populations if emissions are not controlled
Emissions of SO2 and nitrogen oxides (NOx), when they combine with ammonia in the atmosphere, form fine particles and have deleterious health effects
It is estimated that emissions from coal-fired power plants caused over 80,000 premature deaths in India in 2015, and will cause over 400,000 premature deaths in 2050 if coal-fired generating capacity continues to expand (GBD MAPS, 2018)
Summary
In addition to contributing to climate change, air pollution from coal-fired power plants can cause significant health problems for local and regional populations if emissions are not controlled. Cropper et al (2017) examine the costs and health benefits of retrofitting the 2009 stock of coal-fired power plants in India with scrubbers, focusing on the mortality reductions that FGDs will achieve.. This paper examines the costs and benefits of retrofitting coal-fired power plants in India with flue-gas desulfurization units (FGDs or scrubbers) to reduce SO2.2 Indian coal has low-sulfur content, meeting new emission standards will require retrofitting most coal-fired power plants with FGDs (Cropper et al, 2017). We elucidate the impact of key parameters on net benefits
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