Despite a well-publicised occupation by Greenpeace activists last year and a modicum of local opposition, Medway Councillors last night backed the controversial plans of energy goliath E.On to press on with their scheme to build Britain’s first coal-fired power plant in for nearly a quarter of a century at Kingsnorth on the Medway estuary.
Anyone possessed of visions of noxious smoke floating across the river and down in historic Rochester, or even Strood for that matter, should apparently be reassured by E.On's pledge that the new station will be up to a fifth cleaner than the current operation. The company claims that the station will be more eco-friendly by capturing carbon and storing it in used up oil fields under the North Sea. The £1 billion investment to build two new cleaner coal units would produce power from coal more efficiently and more cleanly than ever before in the UK, the company claimed, leading to a cut in carbon emissions of almost 2 million tons per annum.
Paul Golby, chief executive of E.On, said the company had made a public commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.
"This particular investment is significantly more efficient than conventional coal plants and that is equivalent to taking about half a million cars off the road," he told BBC Radio 4.
He added that the new power station would hopefully become the UK's first clean carbon demonstration plant, with carbon captured from it and stored in depleted oil fields under the North Sea.
The usual doomsayers from the NGOs, however, say the project will damage the environment. The opponents say the move would be a serious setback to efforts to cut the UK's carbon emissions, with Greenpeace labelling it "dinosaur technology". Ben Stuart, the communications director of Greenpeace, accused E.On of being "the largest polluter in Britain and being reckless in building the power station".
He said carbon capture and storage was not viable in the first half of the 21st Century and the new plant would emit 8.4 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
"A new generation of coal-fired power stations in the UK beginning with Kingsnorth would quite simply end any hope we have that Britain can meet its long-term climate change targets," he explained.
Friends of the Earth added that the council's decision to give its backing "to an outdated and dirty coal-fired power station" was disappointing.
Energy campaigner Robin Webster said: "If built, Kingsnorth power station will undermine the government's commitment to meet European targets for producing 20% of energy from renewables by 2020.
"If it is serious about tackling climate change the government must throw out this proposal and promote investment in clean and green alternatives."
Caroline Lucas, the Green Party’s MEP for South East England, said the move was a "massive step backwards".
"This is enormously significant as it’s going to be the first UK coal-fired power station in almost 30 years," she said.
"Coming so soon after the Bali climate change summit where everyone was talking about the importance of climate change, to come up with this decision in favour of a coal-fired power station is a massive step backwards.
"Ultimately it’s utterly unnecessary; there are other ways of generating energy that could have shown a way forward in terms of tackling climate change.
"It’s not difficult to be slightly more efficient than the old power station that it is replacing, so let’s not get it into our heads that that makes it more efficient."
If the project is approved by the government, the new station is scheduled to open in 2012 and supply 1½ million homes with energy.
The final decision on the plan will now be made by the government.
Medway Council does not have the power to grant or reject planning permission, but was asked to give its views to the government.
It had received nearly 9,000 objections, more than 8,000 of them in the form of e-mails, postcards and letters in standard Greenpeace wording. But earlier officers had recommended that the council did not object.
Diane Chambers, chairman of Medway Council's development control committee said local opposition to the plans was limited, with interested parties such as the RSPB and the Environment Agency raising no objection. Mrs Chambers said: "We raised no objection to the plan and the matter will now go to the Secretary of State."
Bob Marshall-Andrews, Labour MP for Medway, said the application was of national and international importance because of its impact on the environment.
The last coal-fired plant was built in Northern Ireland 24 years ago.
Anyone possessed of visions of noxious smoke floating across the river and down in historic Rochester, or even Strood for that matter, should apparently be reassured by E.On's pledge that the new station will be up to a fifth cleaner than the current operation. The company claims that the station will be more eco-friendly by capturing carbon and storing it in used up oil fields under the North Sea. The £1 billion investment to build two new cleaner coal units would produce power from coal more efficiently and more cleanly than ever before in the UK, the company claimed, leading to a cut in carbon emissions of almost 2 million tons per annum.
Paul Golby, chief executive of E.On, said the company had made a public commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.
"This particular investment is significantly more efficient than conventional coal plants and that is equivalent to taking about half a million cars off the road," he told BBC Radio 4.
He added that the new power station would hopefully become the UK's first clean carbon demonstration plant, with carbon captured from it and stored in depleted oil fields under the North Sea.
The usual doomsayers from the NGOs, however, say the project will damage the environment. The opponents say the move would be a serious setback to efforts to cut the UK's carbon emissions, with Greenpeace labelling it "dinosaur technology". Ben Stuart, the communications director of Greenpeace, accused E.On of being "the largest polluter in Britain and being reckless in building the power station".
He said carbon capture and storage was not viable in the first half of the 21st Century and the new plant would emit 8.4 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
"A new generation of coal-fired power stations in the UK beginning with Kingsnorth would quite simply end any hope we have that Britain can meet its long-term climate change targets," he explained.
Friends of the Earth added that the council's decision to give its backing "to an outdated and dirty coal-fired power station" was disappointing.
Energy campaigner Robin Webster said: "If built, Kingsnorth power station will undermine the government's commitment to meet European targets for producing 20% of energy from renewables by 2020.
"If it is serious about tackling climate change the government must throw out this proposal and promote investment in clean and green alternatives."
Caroline Lucas, the Green Party’s MEP for South East England, said the move was a "massive step backwards".
"This is enormously significant as it’s going to be the first UK coal-fired power station in almost 30 years," she said.
"Coming so soon after the Bali climate change summit where everyone was talking about the importance of climate change, to come up with this decision in favour of a coal-fired power station is a massive step backwards.
"Ultimately it’s utterly unnecessary; there are other ways of generating energy that could have shown a way forward in terms of tackling climate change.
"It’s not difficult to be slightly more efficient than the old power station that it is replacing, so let’s not get it into our heads that that makes it more efficient."
If the project is approved by the government, the new station is scheduled to open in 2012 and supply 1½ million homes with energy.
The final decision on the plan will now be made by the government.
Medway Council does not have the power to grant or reject planning permission, but was asked to give its views to the government.
It had received nearly 9,000 objections, more than 8,000 of them in the form of e-mails, postcards and letters in standard Greenpeace wording. But earlier officers had recommended that the council did not object.
Diane Chambers, chairman of Medway Council's development control committee said local opposition to the plans was limited, with interested parties such as the RSPB and the Environment Agency raising no objection. Mrs Chambers said: "We raised no objection to the plan and the matter will now go to the Secretary of State."
Bob Marshall-Andrews, Labour MP for Medway, said the application was of national and international importance because of its impact on the environment.
The last coal-fired plant was built in Northern Ireland 24 years ago.
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