Estimation of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission from Myanmar’s electricity generation industries

Abstract

Fuel-burning to generate electricity contributes to Global Warming. The primary fuel sources for electricity production include coal, natural gas, oil, etc. These fuel sources release greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), into the atmosphere through combustion. Myanmar's electricity production has increased to meet the country's demand, thus increasing the emission of GHGs. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) estimated the amount of GHGs for Myanmar's power production from 2021 to 2030 based on the National Electricity Master Plan (2014). Since then, few research publications have explored how much GHGs are emitted from using fossil fuels to generate electricity. Therefore, the study aims to calculate the GHG emissions produced by Myanmar's electricity generation with actual data. This research also proposes mitigation measures that will reduce the emission. This study focuses on thermal power plants connected to transmission lines. It estimates the total GHG emissions from fossil fuels such as sub bituminous coal, liquefied natural gas, and natural gas. The secondary data was collected from Myanmar's Ministry of Electric Power for eleven years (2012–2022). GHG emissions were estimated using the Tier 1 method of the IPCC 2006 Guidelines. The results indicate that the overall emissions varied throughout the years, reaching a peak of 1696.53 MtCO2e in 2019 and a lowest of 323.49 MtCO2e in 2016. The emissions from natural gas showed an ongoing increase throughout that period. However, the emissions from sub-bituminous coal have seen significant fluctuations. Based on the research findings, it is necessary to explore mitigation strategies, like using renewable energy sources, upgrading energy efficiency, and implementing carbon capture technology, as possible approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions produced by power generation processes in Myanmar.