Excerpt
The Partizanskaya River valley is located in the southernmost area of the Russian Far East (figure 1). It is a unique ecosystem as it was not affected by glaciations in the Quaternary Period and preserved the southern and northern flora species. The uniqueness of the geographical location predetermined favorable natural conditions in that valley, causing active settlement from the middle of 19th century and development of a few sectors of agriculture, coal industry, fuel, and energy. In the second half of 20th century, the area suffered a decline of economic development, resulting in a number of ecological problems that could lead to environmental catastrophe in the region.
One of the industrial structures in the area is the Partizansk Coal-Burning Power Plant (CBPP), operating since 1954 (figure 2). Due to the increase of power consumption in the southeast region of Primorskiy Krai by 4.7% to 6% each year, the plant was renovated in 2008 to 2009.
Partizansk CBPP has continued negative impacts on the environment. Ash is the main contaminant. Partizansk CBPP annually produces up to 100,000 t (220,462,233 lb) of ash. The problem is the overfilled old ash dump. It was thoroughly exhausted in 2002. The search for a new…
- © 2013 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society