The Šoštanj coal-fired power station (TEŠ) is estimated to have caused between EUR 763m and EUR 2.44bn in cost to health and environment between 2008 and 2012, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
TEŠ is the biggest polluter among the 56 Slovenian industrial facilities included in a report on the costs of air pollution from European industrial facilities recently released by the EEA. It is ranked the 82nd most damaging facility in Europe.
The second biggest polluter in Slovenia is the Trbovlje thermal power station (TET), which is headed for liquidation, with its cost assessed between EUR 188m and EUR 595m, followed by the Ljubljana cogeneration plant TE-TOL (EUR 113m-373m).
Cement maker Salonit Anhovo is assessed to have caused between EUR 67m and EUR 216m in cost to health and environment in 2008-2012, and aluminium producer Talum between EUR 44m and EUR 140m.
The EEA report found that air pollution and greenhouse gases from industry cost Europe between EUR 59bn and EUR 189bn in 2012. The estimated cost in the period between 2008 and 2012 was at least EUR 329bn and possibly up to EUR 1.053bn.
The report evaluates a number of harmful impacts caused by air pollution including premature death, hospital costs, lost work days, health problems, damage to buildings and reduced agricultural yields.
Of the 30 individual facilities identified as causing the highest damage, 26 are power-generating facilities, mainly fuelled by coal and lignite and located predominantly in Germany and Eastern Europe.
Source: SloveniaTimes
Photo sources: Panoramio, Kraji.eu
