Background and Objective: Assessing the life cycle and evaluating the carbon footprint in thermal power plants is crucial due to their reliance on fossil fuels. This study was conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts and carbon footprint of the Iranshahr steam power plant.
Materials and Methods: Primary data were collected and analyzed using SimaPro software and the ReCiPe 2016 method (Hierarchist perspective). The carbon footprint was assessed through data modeling based on the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) method. The functional unit was defined as one kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generated, and the system boundary was set as gate-to-gate.
Results: The study revealed that the most significant environmental impacts of the power plant were related to human carcinogenic toxicity, accounting for 42% at the midpoint level, and damage to human health, contributing 86% at the endpoint level. Sensitivity analysis identified natural gas as the most influential factor affecting the results. According to the IPCC method, fossil fuel consumption contributed 94% to the global warming potential. The highest amount of CO2 emitted was 0.946 kg per kWh of electricity produced.
Conclusion: The CO2 emissions per kWh of electricity produced (0.946 kg/kWh) exceeded the average CO2 emission factor for fossil fuel power plants in Iran (0.64 kg/kWh). Based on these findings, it is recommended to prioritize the use of renewable and clean energy sources, such as wind and solar power, as alternatives for electricity generation in the region.
