Date: 02-Mar-09
Country: BELGIUM
Author: Pete Harrison
BRUSSELS - Dozens of ageing European coal-fired power stations could win life extensions to 2020 if they agree to scale back their operating hours, according to a proposal to be tabled by the European Union's Czech presidency.
The proposal has been made in an overhaul of EU acid rain laws, seen by Reuters on Friday, and it is aimed at ending opposition from countries with coal-powered economies that fear future energy shortages.
But it is likely to anger environmentalists who urge that coal be swiftly phased out as the biggest contributor to global warming. The final laws will be hotly contested and are unlikely to be agreed for many months.
Current EU emissions laws force European power stations to fit costly equipment to remove sulphur and nitrogen oxides blamed for acid rain, but older plants can opt out provided that they close after 20,000 hours of running time or by 2015.
The EU adopted laws in 2001 aimed at curbing industrial plants' emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides -- which harm human health and acidify lakes and soil.
The European Commission, executive arm of the EU, estimates that if its air quality laws are fully implemented they could prevent 13,000 premature deaths a year.
But some European nations such as the UK object to the legislation, saying the forced closure of plants will contribute to a gap in generating capacity around 2015.
Environment ministers will meet next Monday to discuss an overhaul of those emissions controls in a new Industrial Emmissions Directive.
They are expected to consider the Czech proposal to allow plants to delay closure until 2020 if they limit themselves to 15,000 hours running time.
Britain, Poland, Spain, France and Romania top the list of countries that will have to retire coal-fired power stations by 2015 unless new exemptions are agreed, European Commission data shows.
Seventeen of the EU's 27 member states have chosen that route for a total of 205 plants.
Britain has opted out 13 plants, totalling around 34.3 thermal gigawatts of capacity, the highest level in Europe and around 15 percent of total UK capacity.
Poland has opted out 32 percent of its capacity, Spain has opted out 10 percent, France 5 percent and Romania 22 percent.
(Reporting by Pete Harrison, Editing by Peter Blackburn)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
