Coal-fired power plants may be delayed

The construction of three coal-fired power plants could be delayed for up to 18 months, reports NRC Handelsblad on Monday.


The delay follows a decision by the Council of Europe to challenge the legality of the new power stations via the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.
The Council wants the court to rule on whether the Netherlands is breaking European Union rules on emissions, the paper says.
German’s Eon and Belgian energy firm Electrabel both have plans to build coal-fired power plants on the Maasvlakte industrial zone in Rotterdam while Germany’s RWE wants to construct a coal-generated unit at Eemshaven in the northern province of Groningen.
In a separate legal process, environmental protection organisations, including Greenpeace, have submitted objections to these coal-fired power stations to the Council of State, the highest Dutch judicial body. The environmental groups say the plants will mean that the Netherlands will exceed its ceiling for sulphur and nitrogen emissions.
The Council of State has heard the case but will not make a ruling until the European Court has made its pronouncements on a number of principal issues, the NRC reports.
The energy firms warn that the legal action will lead to a ‘significant delay’, the paper says.

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