Abstract: Based on different installed capacities, four evaluation areas as in the north and south, coastal and inland of China, and some new survey data or parameters, the radiological environmental impact from coal power plants were assessed. Results showed that: (1) Average normalized collective effective dose to the public within 80 km from coal power plant was 2.2 man·Sv/GWa. (2) Normalized collective dose from small sized coal-fired unit (100 MW and below) was 6.0 man·Sv/GWa and 1.8 man·Sv/GWa from the large sized coal-fired unit (300 MW and above); the collective dose from the small units was about 3 times higher than that from the large ones. (3) The dominant radionuclides were ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb, and ingestion and inhalation were primary exposure pathway. (4) Collective dose of coal power plants in different sites could vary in one order of magnitude due to the big difference of population density. Conclusions and discussion: compared with natural background level, the radiological impacts of coal power plants are very small; however, coal-fired power plant is 34 times higher than nuclear power plant. By elimination of small sized coal-fired unit and implementation of ultra-low emission technology reformation, the radiological environmental impact from coal power plants would be further reduced. At present, the ²¹⁰Po emission cannot be removed effectively by dust collectors, and this should be further studied.

Key words: coal power plant, natural radioactivity, radiation environmental impact, public exposure, dose assessment