Environmental Aspects of Electricity Grid Interconnection in Northeast Asia

Environmental degradation is widespread in Northeast Asia, particularly atmospheric pollution. Enhanced electricity grid interconnections in Northeast Asia offer two distinct kinds of benefits: (a) the spatial separation of generating source and point of electricity use, and (b) the substitution of cleaner fuels for coal. The first of these factors offers real potential. In most of the region, the pollution sources, i.e., the power plants, are geographically co-located with the points of electricity use, i.e., the population centers. Thus, there is maximum exposure of populations to elevated ambient pollutant concentrations, and damage to human health results. Second, coal is the cheapest and most readily available fuel for electricity generation in the region, and its combustion leads to high emissions of airborne pollutants. If the electricity generation can occur in places where cleaner fuels are more plentiful (whether natural gas, hydroelectricity, nuclear, or other renewable energy sources), then additional benefits can accrue.