Friends of the Earth Says Welsh Coal Must Use Clean Technology
Posted on: January 31st, 2008 by Emma YoungCoal has to clean up its act if it is to have a future as an energy source, warned Friends of the Earth Cymru today. Their warning comes in the context of the Tower Colliery mine closing. Miners there moved on to new jobs at Aberpergwm mine in the Neath valley.
New coal-fired power stations should only be allowed if they achieve very high levels of efficiency, said the green pressure group. Emissions from coal-fired plants are one of the main sources of greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Far more should also be done to try to capture and bury the carbon dioxide that is produced, they added.
“Over 70 per cent of the coal used in the UK is imported. If Welsh coal were to replace some of these imports, it could provide a lifeline to the coal industry.”
“But for coal-fired power stations to have any future, far cleaner technologies must be developed and implemented. Without these technologies, Friends of the Earth Cymru believes that Aberthaw power station, which uses Welsh coal and is the main single source of climate changing gases in Wales, only has a limited future.”
Friends of the Earth Cymru Director, Gordon James, said:
“We are concerned that politicians, such as Peter Hain, are predicting a “renaissance of the coal industry in Wales” without spelling out the dangers and insisting that coal-fired power stations must clean up their act.
“Coal is a filthy fuel and a major contributor to climate change. The main reason that carbon dioxide emissions globally and in the UK have been rising in recent years is the increased use of coal for electricity generation.”
www.foe.co.uk
