Solid Biomass Climate Change Interventions Examined in a Context of Inherent Safety, Media Shifting, and Emerging Risks

Abstract

This paper examines recent evidence from Denmark and abroad regarding climate change projects that aim to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions by converting coal-fired thermal power plants to solid biomass fuel. The paper argues that projects appear to be pursued narrowmindedly with insufficient attention paid to safety and points to evidence of media shifting -that the 'resolution' of a problem within the environmental domain creates a new problem in the workplace safety domain. From the perspective of inherent safety the paper argues that the conversion is a step in the wrong direction as a low risk fuel is substituted for a less safe one.Because of rapid scale-up and handling of unprecedented quantities, solid biomass qualify as an emerging risk for which proper control strategies have yet to be developed. The paper finally argues that the tendency to prioritize environmental benefits over safety concerns seems to run deep and not confined to the realm of only solid biomass. Danish environmental ambitions are very high and the costs to society of introducing solid biomass fuels are breathtaking. In this setting, the general failure to address safety risks appears particularly disheartening.

Fatal Accidents During Marine Transport of Wood Pellets Due to Off-Gassing: Experiences from Denmark

“…The fire and explosion hazard profile of biomass pellets is much different from that of coal [3]. Pellets inevitably generate fine dust when handled in the logistics chain, e.g.…”

“…Denmark's climate change policy is very ambitious and comprises the conversion of coal-fired thermal power plants to solid biomass fuel in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions [3]. This chapter points to evidence of media shifting of this climate change intervention that the transport of unprecedented quantities of wood pellets has created new workplace hazards in the marine transportation sector.…”

“…Former coal-fired power plants therefore often face storage capacity limitations. Wood pellets' energy content per unit volume is anywhere from half to one-third of that of coal, which furthermore aggravates storage capacity limitations [3]. The limitations call for frequent arrivals of relatively small cargo sizes, a market well-suited for the small coaster segment.…”

“…Fire station turnout statistics showed that fires at the facility were frequent. In the sustainability reporting, however, fire and explosion risks were only ranked 11 out of 14, long after more benign, if not trivial issues such as bad acoustics, psychosocial issues and indoor environment problems such as drafts, cold spots and radiant heat [3].…”

“…Because Denmark's own woodlands are limited and covered by environmental protection policies, the domestic production of solid biomass is insignificant. Hence, essentially all biomass is imported, mostly from loggings in the Baltic countries and Russia, but also from North America and Africa [3].…”