Greenpeace dumps coal outside Nuon HQ

Thursday 05 July 2007

Twenty tons of coal was dumped in front of the headquarters of energy concern Nuon in Amsterdam on Thursday morning by activists from the environmental organisation Greenpeace.

The action follows a parliamentary majority earlier this week to allow four new coal-fired power plants to be built in the Netherlands in the coming five years.

Nuon is the first to be given an environment licence for a new coal-fired power plant.

Femke Bartels of Greenpeace says Nuon and other energy firms are not as green as they like people to think. She points to a new report published today by research agency SOMO which says only 5% and 15% respectively of Nuon and Essent’s production last year was generated from renewable sources.

Researcher Tim Steinweg of SOMO says the total fuel mix is actually becoming less green than at present as a result of the plans for new coal-fired power plants.

However earlier this week environment minister Jacqueline Cramer stressed that the country’s environmental goals (30% reduction in CO2 emissions, 20% green production and an annual energy saving of 2% by 2020) are not under pressure from the proposed coal plants.

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