Also the transportation of gas via pipelines is considered to be of less importance in relation to accidents or public health impacts due to emissions of pollutants. So, for the emissions the power generation step is dominant. The most important occupational impacts are from the extraction stage. Cooling water can be released into the canal Brussels-Charleroi. The limited flow on the canal necessitates a semi-closed cooling circuit with a cooling tower.
Liquid emissions are thus very small.
The most important externalities are associated with the public health impacts from NO x emissions, especially chronic mortality impacts from NO x aerosols, and global warming. For the mid estimates, the latter are the most important impacts. The occupational impacts are very small. The damages per ton pollutant emitted from power plants at Drogenbos or similar to those for the coal fuel cycle for Genk-Langerlo. As for coal, impacts per ton of pollutant are relatively high compared to other countries whereas emissions of NO x and SO 2 are more or less comparable.