FE797 Life cycle inventory analysis of hard coal based electricity generation
Laura Sokka, Sirkka Koskela and Jyri Seppälä
The official name of this serie is The Finnish Environment 797, 48 p. URN:ISBN:9521120657, ISBN 952-11-2065-7. This publication is available only in the internet.
Abstract
In this document, the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) of hard coal electricity is described. The LCI presents the product system of hard coal electricity covering all the life cycle stages from the extraction of resources to the delivery of electric power to the grid. The Finnish Meri-Pori power plant, which represents best available power plant technology, was used as a case study power plant. Inventory data on coal mining was collected using the average interventions of underground coal mining in Poland.
Main emissions to air from the system mostly originate from conversing hard coal to electricity at the power plant. Electricity generation is the main source for CO2, NOX, SO2 and most heavy metal emissions to air. The waste recycling rate of the investigated system is very high; almost 100% of the wastes produced at the power plant and over 85% of those produced during mining are recycled. In addition, approximately 20% of the methane released in the Polish mines is recovered and used as a fuel.
LCI results were used in the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) of hard coal electricity, and to identify the differences between the environmental impacts caused by oil shale electricity and coal electricity through their whole life cycle stages in the EU Life-Environment project (OSELCA). Inventory data produced in this study is applicable to systems using modern power plant technology and Eastern European hard coal. Two main blocks of the investigated system - mining and power generation - can also be used separately in different LCA studies.
More information
Laura Sokka, Finnish Environment Institute, Phone +358 20 490 2583, Mobile +358 400 148 623403 000, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
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