Greenpeace protest at Alstom's Philppines headquarters.
Greenpeace's "Choose Positive Energy" activists in Manila
dressed inbusiness suits and snorkel gear and paraded with banners
outsideAlstom's head office for the Philippines. They want to
remind Alstomthat raised ocean levels, increased flooding, drought
and coralbleaching are consequences their country will face as a
result ofclimate change. (Coal-fired power generation is a major
contributor togreenhouse gases emissions which cause climate
change.)
"It is time for Alstom to meaningfully embrace viable
sustainablealternatives such as solar energy and wind power," said
AthenaBallesteros, Greenpeace climate campaigner in Southeast
Asia.
The majority of Alstom's resources are used to produce equipment
toprocess fossil fuels, which are responsible for climate change.
Lessthan one percent of Alstom's resources go to developing
renewableenergy alternatives. This is shameful, and it makes Alstom
accountablefor the growing impacts of global warming across the
world.
The list of Amstom's dirty-technology provisions to coal plants
inthe Philippines is long. It includes the notorious
mercury-spewing600-MW plant of NAPOCOR in Calaca, Batangas, a
203-MW coal plant inNaga, Cebu and the 1200-MW coal burning
behemoth of Sual, Pangasinan.
Alstom is also a major supplier of the highly controversial
andcorruption-tainted Three Gorges Dam of China. With estimated
grossearnings of about 23 billion Euros last year, Alstom is one of
themajor players in the global energy market.
Greenpeace energy campaigner Red Constantino said, "Alstom
shouldplay the role of renewable energy leader in countries like
thePhilippines instead of pushing for large-scale polluting power
plants.We welcome renewable energy investments but we reject the
expansion ofcoal investments."
One such investment is the proposed 50-MW coal plant at
Pulupandan,in the Philippine province of Negros Occidental. Despite
thecancellation of the project's environmental permit and the
freeze ofits investment registration papers, Alstom continues to
insist onjoining the project. The province of Negros Occidental has
vastrenewable energy resources. Commercially viable wind power from
onesite alone in Negros carries a 180-MW potential capacity.
Greenpeace today announced that its ship MV Arctic Sunrise
willarrive in the Philippines on July 17, on the southern leg of
the ChoosePositive Energy tour. The ship will visit the Philippines
and Thailand,where communities are rejecting the dirty energy
technology of coalfired power stations, and demanding clean
renewable energy fill thegrowing demand. The Greenpeace flagship,
the Rainbow Warrior, ispresently campaigning in the North Sea
against nuclear and fossil fuelenergy on the northern leg of the
Choose Positive Energy Tour.
The Choose Positive Energy Tour is part of Greenpeace's
countdown to the Johannesburg Earth Summit.
For more
information
'Edison
out', a Greenpeace report on another company's attempt to take
dirty coal-fired energy to Thailand.