This afternoon, a Greenpeace delegation will meet with the
Cabinet of Flemish Minister President, Kris Peeters, to debate how
Flanders and Belgium can move to a future free of coal and nuclear
power.
"It's a question of good governance. The current environment
impact report process(1) is
meaningless. Flanders should not allow the construction of any new
coal power plant," said Fawaz Al Bitar, Greenpeace Belgium Climate
and Energy Campaigner.
German electricity provider E.ON envisages the construction of
an 1100MW coal power plant in Antwerp. The Antwerp coal power plant
would emit some 6 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Coal is the most
polluting of all fossil fuels. A third of all CO2 emissions come from coal and, if
business continues as usual, this could increase to 60% by
2030.(2)
E.ON plans a €50 billion investment programme for 2008-2010 to
expand its generation capacity across Europe, only €6 billion (12%)
of which is to be invested in renewable sources of energy. E.ON
plans to build eight new coal plants in Germany, Belgium, the UK
and the Netherlands (costing around €1.2 billion each) and to
construct another 2000MW of coal-fired capacity in the rest of the
EU.(3)
The action comes after the Rainbow Warrior demonstrated the
potential of a North Sea electricity grid by simulating the
connection of the first Belgian offshore wind farm to those of
neighbouring countries. This approach is outlined in the North Sea electricity grid [r]evolution
report.(4)
'The interconnection of North Sea wind farms contributes to the
reliability of this renewable energy and allows it to be combined
with other renewable energy sources, like hydraulic energy from
Norway,' explained Al Bitar.
Today's protests are part of a four-month tour by the Greenpeace
ships Rainbow Warrior and Arctic Sunrise. Bringing
the "Quit Coal" message to the Mediterranean and Europe, the
expedition is happening in the run-up to crucial UN climate
negotiations in Poznan, Poland, this December.
Quitting coal will be essential to a meaningful deal to save the
climate. European governments must show leadership by phasing-out
coal in their own countries. Greenpeace's Energy [R]evolution shows how
renewable energy, combined with greater energy efficiency, can cut
global CO2 emissions by 50% and
deliver half the world's energy needs by 2050.(5)
Other contacts: Elysabeth Loos, Media Officer, Greenpeace Belgium:
+ 32 496 161 589
Fawaz Al Bitar, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace Belgium:
+ 32 496 122 231
Marc-Olivier Herman, Campaign Director, Greenpeace Belgium:
+ 32 478 288 047
Notes: (1) In Flanders, the MER or Environmental Impact Statement
(2) For more information on E.ON go to: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/coal-the-eu-and-eon
(3) Figures for this calculation are sourced from the Contribution of Working Group III to the 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
(4) See 'A north sea electricity grid [r]evolution'
(5) Greenpeace's Energy [R]evolution