Enemies of coal plant are enemies of progress — State

In the face of scientific evidence and an international outcry, the government on Thursday condemned critics of the vast Lamu coal-fired power plant, calling them "enemies of progress".

Government spokesman Col (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna defended the planned 1050MW plant, which will use imported coal for years, saying it will boost industrialisation and improve lives.

"Industrialisation requires affordable, stable and reliable sources of energy. For Kenya, that source has been identified as coal. This will be the main source to drive industrial growth," Oguna told the press at Teleposta Towers.

The government's unyielding stance conflicts with fierce and unyielding protests by environmentalists, NGOs, the UN and residents of Lamu, elsewhere in Kenya and around the world.

UN secretary general António Guterres said on May 18 in the Pacific island of Vanuatu, "Taxpayer money should not be used to boost hurricanes, spread drought and heatwaves, melt glaciers and bleach corals ...  we must stop building new coal plants by 2020. We need a green economy, not a grey economy."

Even China is closing coal-fired power plants and turning to clean sustainable energy.

"No country can rely essentially on agriculture to develop. The moment you rely on agriculture, you will always be market for other people's goods. Kenya for a long time has been market for other people's goods and we must be able to find a way to turn that around," Oguna said.

He continued, "Nobody in this world wants another person to prosper especially between countries. Therefore, these reports we are hearing are reports coming from sources that would not wish to see Kenya grow so that we can continue being markets for goods from outside."

The spokesman said the current world is driven by the "survival for the fittest".

He said the project will add 1050MW to the current capacity of 2712MW against Kenya's industrial power needs of 5000MW.

"Notably, the coal energy will also help in the gradual replacement of the diesel power plant in Mombasa which has aged and is currently expensive to operate," he said.

Oguna denied reports that the project will cost Sh900 billion.

He said the Sh200 billion to put up the plant will come from the private sector under the public-private partnership.

The private investor will recover the money through selling of power to consumers until 2050.

"The cost of power to the consumer will be much lower compared to the available power sources. The cost of power will be 7.8 US cents/KwH. Comparatively, current tariffs from geothermal are 8.24 US cents/KwH, while thermal is 36 US cents," he said.

The spokesman said to construct a geothermal plant takes seven to eight years while a coal plant takes only a few months.

He said the project underwent public participation.

Oguna said a comparative analysis showed that only coal and geothermal can effectively drive industrial needs.

He said the mix is comprised of geothermal (50 per cent), hydro (28 per cent ), wind/solar (12 per cent ) and thermal ( 10 per cent).

The community in Lamu will benefit from jobs, with the heat from the plant being used to desalinate water for drinking, he said.

He said sulphur from high-sulfur coal will be used to process fertilisers.

Oguna said the technology will be modern, rubbishing claims by scholars and health experts that the plant will be heavily polluting of air and the environment and will have "dire consequences" for health and environment.

Financial experts have said the project does not make economic sense.

Even as Oguna praised coal, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance Executive Director Mithika Mwenda said he was shocked and disgusted by the move.

Addressing the press at Hilton Hotel, Nairobi shortly after Oguna, Mithika said the state has turned a deaf ear to the noise on the ground, and a blind eye to the realities. 

"We remind the government not to listen to a few greedy people hiding behind local and international firms with a resolve to have the Lamu coal project continue, no matter what," he said. "Coal is not cool."

Mithika added, "Coal is going to kill our people in Lamu. Going on with this project will sink the country’s economy and push the already overburdened taxpayer to the wall."

He said the harmful effects of coal-fired power plants include increased greenhouse gas emissions and the production of toxins during burning.

Some of the gases have been known to cause ailments like cancer and asthma.

In  March, Professor Paul Ekins, one of the authors of the 'Global Environment Outlook' report, urged Kenya to avoid coal as much as possible.

Ekins spoke to the Star on the sidelines of the recent release of the report at the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi.

"Coal is not the future, coal is the past," he warned.

Ekins said other sources of power, such as solar, are cheaper than coal.

"If you are still pushing for coal, it can only be two reasons, either the policymakers do not know the real cost and they will end up paying more than they need to. Or you have powerful lobbies in favour of coal that are persuading the policymakers to do something that is not in the national or international interest," he said.

The National Environment Tribunal next week is to make a judgment on the Environment and Social Impact Assessment case of the Lamu coal plant.

(Edited by V. Graham)