‘UK should call for freeze on the 75 coal power stations planned for Europe’

The UK should lead the way in calling for a freeze on the building of new coal-fired power stations, according to a think-tank report.

A Europe-wide block for at least two years on coal investment is necessary if cuts in carbon emissions are to be achieved.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says the target of reducing CO2 emissions from the power sector and heavy industry of 21 per cent by 2020 is threatened by plans for new coal plants.

The IPPR says there are proposals for 75 new coal plants across Europe including seven in the UK. So far only one formal application has been made, by E.On UK, to build a new plant at Kingsnorth in Kent.

The IPPR study says that even if only a proportion of the plants are built, the EU emissions reduction target would only be achievable through widespread use of the untested technology of carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Although CCS has the potential to cut carbon emissions from coal plants by up to 90 per cent, the technology is unlikely to be ready until after 2020 according to industry experts.

Telegraph