Why are we going back to coal?

Great comment piece in yesterday's Times questioning the new coal rush in general and Kingsnorth in particular...

"It is extraordinary that the Government is trying to rush through a new generation of coal-fired power stations. Coal produces almost three times as much carbon dioxide per unit of electricity as gas. The shift from coal to gas in the 1980s accounts for almost all the progress Britain has made on reducing emissions. But John Hutton, the Energy Minister, has been bending over backwards to help the energy company E.ON to build a new plant at Kingsnorth, Kent, which now has planning permission."

Read the full article

PS There's a big verbal punch up going on in the comments section following this story, so feel free to weigh-in!

Top scientists bring much needed common sense to the new coal panto

Yesterday, we at WDM would have been forgiven for thinking we were mid-panto season as we endevoured to clarify what the likely government response would be to E.ON's request for postponement of the planning application for Kingsnorth power station.

On contacting the team that handles planning consents at BERR, I was told unequivocally that oh no there hadn't been no such request made by E.ON for a postponement of the decision and that the application continues as is. Further investigations produced protestations from E.ON that oh yes there had indeed been a request made to the government both on the phone and in writing.

I then took the liberty of sending E.ON's press release to the contact at BERR, in response to his scepticism about the truth of my claims, who in turn reaffirmed that oh no there hadn't been such correspondence to his knowledge. Given it is his job to tackle such requests you would think he'd know, although he did suggest there was a chance it had got stuck "lost in the labyrinth" of the department.

It's enough to make you question what it is all that taxpayers money gets spent on? Its not on communications by all accounts. Which is not something we would say about the Royal Society. Their announcement today shows the organisation to be using its part-government funding to more much constructive ends.

Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society said today: "Allowing any new coal-fired power station, such as Kingsnorth, to go ahead without a clear strategy and incentives for the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology would send the wrong message about the UK's commitment to address climate change, both globally and to the energy sector."

Common sense at last!

Save the world: drink EV-E.ON

Well it seems that someone has finally come up with a solution to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
The marketing geniuses have come up with EV-EON an "unnaturally carbonated water drink", which gets rid of all the pesky CO2, giving John Hutton the green light to go-ahead with his dream of a coal-fired UK.

On their April 1st launch day EV-EON said:

"Whilst we were outside the Houses of Parliament we came across some pesky students who were chanting against our proposed coal fired power station at Kingsnorth, so we interrupted and in front of the world’s media explained that it would all be ok because we now have the solution; carbon capture bottled water. They were so impressed they left happy as larry."
EV-EON

So there you go - a solution to the carbon capture problem we can all drink - provided of course that no-one ever burps.

Find out more about Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

Drink EV-EON and help stop climate change*

*remember: no burping!

NEWS FLASH: E.ON feeling the pressure, and making fudge

Even E.ON is getting wobbly about the government’s new coal power plans! The ardent pusher of coal-power has just asked the government to “postpone its decision on the Kingsnorth planning application until completion of its proposed consultation into what will be required to make a coal-fired power station carbon capture and storage-ready” and has announced that it is entering Kingsnorth in the government’s competition to win money to build a carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration site.

This is little more than fudge-making on the part of EON, they still want their unabated coal-fired power station. Nonetheless, it is great news for the campaign, especially alongside the rumours of a cabinet split on the issue of coal power. It leaves the government’s department for business, enterprise and regulatory reform (BERR) isolated in its desire to push forward the plans for new coal-fired power stations. With any luck the government will see sense too and freeze their crazy planet-cooking plans along with their consideration of the Kingsnorth application. We now look to Gordon Brown to reign in the rogue element in all this, Minister John Hutton, and announce a full scale review of UK coal policy.

Why have E.ON made this move? Some might say that this is a clear signal that E.ON recognised its reputation is being jepordised by its connection to these ludicrous new coal power plans. Having employed a very swanky PR company, Edleman, it seems the first thing the spin doctors have pointed out to E.ON is that what with WDM, a huge coalition of other campaign groups and the Climate Camp all targeting Kingsnorth power station, E.ON was set for a huge heap of trouble if it tries to build a new coal-fired power plant without carbon capture.

So what does this mean for the new coal power plans. Well, its not time for the cry of victory for campaigners yet. Firstly, E.ON are only asking that their application be postponed until after the ‘ccs-readinesss’ consultation. On receiving this result of this consultation they could still push ahead with their climate wrecking plans. However, as long as Kingsnorth is an entrant in the carbon capture competition, E.ON probably won't go ahead with any changes to Kingsnorth. The winner of this competition is to be announced in summer 2009.

What is most important to recognise however, is that this does not rule out the government’s pushing ahead with permitting new coal power stations without carbon capture and storage technology. And although its most unlikely that a company will go ahead until the carbon capture readiness consultation is over, it is highly likely some will want to get building once it is. But once the consultation goes ahead and the competition is over, E.ON will still want a power station at Kingsnorth.

The only proper solution to truly stop the building of new coal power plants, is for the government to launch a full review of its coal policy, with particular attention for what it means for climate change, which should lead to new coal power plants being ruled out for good.

George Monbiot: Carbon capture is turning out to be just another great green scam

From the Guardian website:

Coal is so clean and fresh that the prime minister brushes his teeth with it, Downing Street said last night. Mr Brown said advances in coal technology meant it was now one of the cleanest substances on Earth, and an unrivalled remover of stains and scaling." So says the satirical website the Daily Mash. The real claims are scarcely battier.

Ministers are about to decide whether to approve a new coal-burning power station at Kingsnorth in Kent. This would be the first such plant to be built in Britain since the monster at Drax was finished in 1986. As well as coal, it will burn up the government's targets, policies and promises on climate change.

John Hutton, the secretary of state in charge of energy, has started justifying the decision he says he hasn't made. "For critics," he argued last week, "there's a belief that coal-fired power stations undermine the UK's leadership position on climate change. In fact, the opposite is true." Quite so: if we don't burn this stuff the Chinese might get their hands on it. Or could he be a true believer? Does he really think there's such a thing as clean coal?

Read the full article on the Guardian website.

Old King Coal is a dirty old soul

The RSPB have now joined the clamour against the new generation of dirty coal power stations.

Responding to John Hutton's speech in which he suggested that the government might give the go ahead to Kingsnorth without a public enquiry, Ruth Davis, Head of Climate Change Policy at the RSPB, said:

“Plans to store carbon dioxide from plants like Kingsnorth are one thing but having the technology to do so is quite another, and still a long way off.

“What is the point of claiming to lead action to tackle climate change, introducing the world’s first climate change legislation, then sanctioning much greater use of the dirtiest energy source there is?

“Even the most efficient coal-fired generation releases twice the carbon dioxide of gas. Failure to delay coal-fired development until carbon storage technology is available is irresponsible and unnecessary. We should be investing far more in energy efficiency and renewables instead.

“Climate change is posing huge threats to people and wildlife. We must face up to this and start to cut our emissions rapidly, especially emissions from the power generation sector.”

The RSPB is one of the largest conservation organisations in the UK, with over a million members.
Read more on the RSPB website.

Carbon footyprint: E.ON's carbon greenwash

If you’re a football fan, you might have noticed that E.ON - the corporation behind the plans to build the new coal power station in Kingsnorth - has been spending a lot of time and cash advertising their 'Carbon Footyprint' campaign. The message is a simple one: football fans can reduce the carbon impact of the FA cup, sponsored by E.ON,

"By pledging ways to save energy, you'll help reduce the carbon footyprint of The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON."
E.ON

Sounds like a good idea in principle, but there is something really wrong with this type of campaign because E.ON are shifting the blame of climate change onto football fans, rather than looking at reducing their own massive carbon footyprint. And E.ON is responsible for proposing a coal-fired power station which will destroy all the efforts made by football fans and millions of individuals who are all doing their bit to reduce their climate impact.

Individual action can help to reduce climate change, but corporations and governments must keep to their part of the deal and follow up their green rhetoric with positive action. You can find out more about individual v government action on the World Development Movement's website.

You can find out how E.ON's carbon footyprint compares with the FA cup by visiting our spoof site: www.carbonfootyprint.org

Ironically E.ON's banner advertising has even been appearing next to news stories about the new Kingsnorth power station. Could it be a mistake by their advertisers, or perhaps they think some greenwash ads will make building the most polluting form of power station possible more palatable?

Either way, if E.ON think they can offset the carbon disaster that is Kingsnorth with a bit of desperate greenwash, they’re mistaken. Maybe it’s time they sacked their PR agency, or even better cleaned up their act.

Great expectations of stopping Kingsnorth

Medway is Dickens territory. Twice a year we have a Dickens Festival which attracts coachloads from all over the South of England and from the continent. Dickens used his novels to highlight abuses of power and the suffering of the poor with such passion and success that government decisions were affected. He showed the lives of the poor, hidden to most of his readers in real life, with great compassion and empathy.

The proposed replacement coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth is perhaps something he would write about today (though I suspect that he'd write scripts for Eastenders rather than novels). It is an abuse of power: we do not have to take the easy route of replacing like with like, but Medway Council has given planning permission (whilst calling for a Public
Enquiry) on the grounds that it will bring jobs to the area. This may be true but must be balanced against the effect on the air quality in Medway (and therefore the health of its residents).

Kingsnorth also impacts upon the lives of those poor people hidden from us in our daily lives. If Kingsnorth is allowed, it sets a precedent for similar replacements. This will increase the UK's CO2 emissions at a time when the Climate Change Bill promises to reduce them by 60% (and hopefully 80%). It will harm the environment, and we know that the people who suffer disproportionately from Climate Change are the poorest people on earth.

As this is Lent I am trying to implement some of the ideas in TEARfund's Carbon Fast. One of them is to write to the Government requesting more decisive action on Climate change. Whatever our religious beliefs, I'd like to think we can all make that little sacrifice of time and effort before Easter to support WDM's call for a Public Enquiry on this issue. I think Dickens would be leading the way.

Richard Martin, WDM Medway group Co-ordinator

Kingsnorth 2 and carbon capture technology

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has often been touted by supporters of the Kingsnorth 2 power station project as a way of generating electricity from 'clean coal'. There's a nice graphic on the BBC website which shows how in theory the practice would work. E.ON themselves describe Kingsnorth 2 as a 'cleaner' coal plant (see their website here).

However despite the publicity surrounding CCS, and attempts to link it to the new generation of coal plants threatened for the UK, the technology itself has yet to be tested on any large scale.

Joss Garman from Greenpeace writes:

"The theoretical possibility of CCS is being used by government and industry as a wedge to drive through new coal fired power stations in the UK. Kingsnorth 2, and others like Tilbury, Blyth, Ferrybridge, High Marnham, Longannet and Cockenzie, would each emit millions of tons of CO2 and are NOT CCS plants. They are plain old fashioned coal plants."

Read more about CCS and Kingsnorth on Greenpeace's website