Communities Opposed to New Coal at Hunterston
Press releases
19.12.09
CONCH Condemn Copenhagen failure.
Members of CONCH 1 today expressed their dismay and anger at the failure of world leaders to reach a legally binding agreement in Copenhagen.
Tim Cowen co-chair of CONCH said:
“At Copenhagen, world leaders kept telling us how committed they are to tackling climate change, but have shamefully failed to reach a deal. It’s an utter disgrace and a really sad day for not just us, but for anyone who cares about the future of our planet.”
CONCH believes that the failure of the Copenhagen to reach a collective agreement, makes its more vital than ever for individual countries to take bold steps to reduce C02 emissions and are calling on the Scottish Government to abandon their support for the proposed building of a new coal station at Hunterston in North Ayrshire.
Peter McGlone, member of CONCH adds:
“If the Scottish Government are serious about tackling climate change, then they have to match rhetoric with action. At Copenhagen they claimed that Scotland is a world leader and an example to other countries with their targets of reducing carbon emissions by 42% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. 2 Yet at the same time they are supporting plans to build a new 1600 MW coal-fired power station on Scotland’s West Coast through its inclusion within their National Planning Framework.” 3
Fellow campaigner Fiona MacIntosh concludes:
“The Scottish Government’s support for a dirty 4 coal-fired power station at Hunterston makes a mockery of their commitment to cut carbon emissions and will make it impossible for them to reach their own climate change targets.”
Notes for editors:
1 CONCH is a community-led, voluntary and independent campaign opposed to the building of a dirty coal power station at Hunterston in North Ayrshire.
Launched at a public meeting in Largs in July 2009, we are campaigning to:
- prevent climate change through increases in Scotland’s CO2 emissions
- stop the devastation of the local environment
- safeguard the public’s health.
For more information about CONCH email: info@conchcampaign.org
2 The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 received Royal Assent on August 4, 2009, Part 1 of the Act, creates the statutory framework for greenhouse gas emissions reductions in Scotland by setting an interim 42 per cent reduction target for 2020, with the power for this to be varied based on expert advice, and an 80 per cent reduction target for 2050.
3 The National Planning Framework (NPF) sets out a number of strategic developments of national importance across Scotland and includes a new coal station at Hunterston. Once named in the NPF, developments have in effect, advance approval. Objections to any planning application can only be lodged in relation to the detail of the development - not the need for the development.
4 Current Scottish Government policy on carbon capture is that to approve a 1600MW station (such as proposed at Hunterston), the developer only has to show that the coal station has a technical capacity for carbon capture on 300MW of its output. In other words, over 80% of all its carbon emissions would be pumped directly into the atmosphere.
