RWE gets last Eemshaven coal-fired power station permit

German energy giant RWE has been given the final permit necessary to complete the construction of its controversial coal-fired power station in Eemshaven, northern Groningen, the provincial council said on Tuesday.


RWE has now taken sufficient steps to reduce the impact of the power station on the environment and there is no reason to delay granting the permit, news agency Novum reported. For example, it is now clear that seals and porpoises will not be affected by the construction noise and water temperatures will not rise significantly, Novum said.
Environmental group Greenpeace, which campaigns against the construction of new coal-fired power plants, said it will again appeal against the permit. ‘The biggest coal-fired power station in the country is and will remain a threat to the Wadden Sea, air quality and the climate,’ the organisation said in a statement.
The Council of State tore up the original environmental permit in August 2011, saying RWE had not done enough research about the impact of the €2.6bn power station. Groningen province then gave RWE a temporary licence so it could continue construction pending a new application.

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