Stop the expansion of Ennore Thermal Power Station

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Member Secretary, TNPCB

Ennore has been plagued by industrial pollution for decades. It faces yet another imminent threat – the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) is considering the reopening and expansion of the Ennore Thermal Power Station (ETPS), a project that could spell disaster for not just the environment, but the health and well-being of residents in Chennai.

The proposed plant is just 50 meters away from a housing board settlement of over 30,000 people. The close proximity means toxic fumes and soot will blanket these residents daily, putting their health and lives in danger. This is against the rules of the Environment Protection Act.

Children in Ennore already face 1,000 times higher risk of cancer due to flying ash pollution from existing power plants. The expansion will only exacerbate this crisis. [1]

The ash pond and the conveyor belt for this proposed power station will be built over the Kosasthalayar River, surrounding wetlands and the Ennore creek. This will cause a diverse range of issues, from disrupting local ecosystems to snatching livelihoods for fisherpeople and enhancing North Chennai’s risk to floods.

Chennai, already battling heatwaves, flooding, and sea level rise, cannot afford more coal projects that could worsen the climate crisis. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board is holding a public hearing on December 20, 2024. They have invited people to send written letters ahead of that meeting.

This is the time to be vocal about our concerns! Tamil Nadu’s existing thermal plants operate at less than 60% capacity. Expanding Ennore Thermal Power Station is absolutely unnecessary!

To make your voice heard, we have provided an email template that you can use to send your concerns and request for TNPCB to reconsider their decision, keeping the ecological and health concerns in mind.

For them to take any action, they need as many objections from concerned citizens as possible. We’re setting a target of at least 10,000 emails that must reach them so they can re-consider the project and its ecological impact.

Sources:

Subject (required):

Dear (cc ),

Email body

Dear Member Secretary, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board,

I want to express my deep concerns regarding the proposed Ennore Thermal Power Station expansion, for which a public hearing has been announced on the 20th December 2024. This project endangers thousands of people’s health and environmental safety in the following ways -

1. Located in a highly polluted area - The location of the proposed plant in Ennore already faces among the highest air pollution figures in India. Studies show that particulate matter (PM 2.5) in this region is more than four times over National air quality standards due to existing industries. 
2. Critical health concerns for people - In April 2022, a joint expert committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal found that children face 1000 times more cancer risk in Ennore due to fly ash pollution from existing thermal power stations.
3. Power station right near housing board settlement - Within 50 meters of the proposed power station’s smoke stack is a housing board colony which over 30,000 people will occupy. They will be shrouded in soot and smoke everyday, causing critical health issues. This is also against the rules in the Environmental Protection Act.
4. Wetlands encroached -  The conveyor belt and ash pond for the proposed power station will be built on the Kosasthalayar river, Ennore creek and surrounding wetlands. This will destroy migratory bird habitat, oyster reefs, mangroves and biologically active mudflats which exist here, along with livelihoods of fisherpeople. Wetland encroachment will also create further flooding issues in North Chennai. 
5. Climate change - Chennai is among the most gravely affected Indian cities by climate change - through heatwaves, sea level rise and disastrous flooding. Even so, Tamil Nadu continues heavy investments in fossil fuel energy, including this coal powered thermal plant. 
6. Unnecessary electricity - Data shows that existing state-run power plants run only at less than 60% capacity. Given this the ETPS project is unnecessary, fueled by irrational dreams of urban growth emulating the West, which will put Chennai deeper and deeper into disaster.

For all these reasons, I strongly urge you to scrap the reopening and expansion of ETPS, and protect the health and safety of the people and environment of Ennore and North Chennai.

Thank you

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