The Matarbari Phase II power project is a 1,200 (2×600) MW planned coal power project in Chattogram, Bangladesh, located next to the Phase I of the plant which is already under construction. The project is owned by Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh (CPGCBL).
CREA obtained the Environmental Impact Assessment of the project and has evaluated the key air quality-related parts of the document, discovering several instances of erroneous or false information, as well as important omissions, which are detailed in the assessment.
CREA carried out a health impact assessment for the phases I and II, based on emissions information provided in the EIA. We find that air pollutant emissions from the plant would significantly increase acute and chronic diseases and symptoms. The emissions would be responsible for an estimated 4,700 air pollution-related deaths over an operating life of 30 years. Other health impacts include approximately 6,000 asthma-related emergency room visits, and 2.6 million work absences because of the need to take sick leave. The scale of these impacts shows the severity of the omissions made in the preparation of the EIA.
Read the full assessment.