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Europe and coal

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This article is part of the Climate change portal on SourceWatch.

This article is part of the Coal Issues portal on SourceWatch, a project of CoalSwarm and the Center for Media and Democracy.

In April 2008 the energy trade publication, Power in Europe, concluded that "West Europe's coal-fired power renaissance is on the rocks." While numerous coal-fired power stations have been proposed, many are now stalling. "The first quarter of 2008 has been characterized by a number of developers postponing, re-inventing or abandoning their projects, continuing last year’s trend. The main issues hammering coal projects are: conflicting policy signals; vocal, well organized local/environmental opposition; the cost of future carbon emission allowances; and the cost and availability of equipment," Power in Europe concluded.[1]

One anonymous energy industry insider told Power in Europe in early April 2008 that "its remarkable how many coal projects have gone by the board in Germany ... I do wonder to what extent this is the fever of the moment, but clearly just mentioning the word coal is enough to get you hung, drawn and quartered. If you are a big utility with a powerful PR machine and CO2 positions, you probably have to continue to actively develop your coal projects. For the rest, smaller utilities, Stadtwerke and IPPs, now is a good time to keep a low profile on coal – but it remains on the agenda as a watching brief."[1]

Contents

Proposed or Possible New Coal-Fired Power Stations

In late 2007 Greenpeace International reviewed 210 new power station proposals of greater than 500 megawatts (MW) in the European Union. The total proposed installed generating capacity of these proposals is 188,883 MW. It found that 68 of the proposals were for coal-fired power stations with a total installed capacity of 64,026 MW, approximately 34 per cent of the total. The review found that 33 of the coal-fired projects are for Germany, eight in the United Kingdom, six oil-to-coal conversions in Italy, six in Poland, five in the Netherlands and others in Austria, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary and Slovakia.[2] The list of the projects below is based on this Greenpeace report but since November last year some of these projects have been modified or appear likely to be rejected while others have subsequently been proposed.

In the decade from 2011-2020, the International Energy Agency forecasts that the OECD (i.e. Europe plus the United States) will add 184 GW of new coal capacity, compared to 168 GW in China. Note that the population of OECD was 1.175 billion people in 2006, compared to 1.321 billion people in China.[3][4]


Austria

  • Enns Power Station has been mooted by Energie AG at Enns, a town on the Danube River. The proposed project would have an installed capacity of up to 800 megawatts.[5] In April 2008 Power in Europe, an energy trade newsletter, reported that the project on the Danube at Enns would involve coal being brought to the station by barge. The newsletter notes that Enns "also has a tie to the high pressure east-west WAG gasline."[6] (See also Austria and coal).

Belgium

  • Antwerp Power Station, Flanders: In November 2007 E.ON Kraftwerke announced plans to build a 1,100 megawatt power station at a cost of 1.5 billion euros. In its announcement, E.ON stated that it had "started the permitting process by submitting the “MER-Kennisgeving”. In order to being able to start commercial operation in 2014, E.ON Kraftwerke hopes to receive all necessary permits in the second half of 2009."[7] E.ON have stated that they aim to begin construction in 2010.[8]One report on the proposed project stated that "Antwerp was chosen because the installations on the right bank of the River Scheldt can be supplied with coal ships of up to 130.000 tonnes. The new power plant will run on 2 million tonnes of coal per year. This means that coals will be shipped in twice a month."[9] (See also Belgium and coal)

Bulgaria

France

  • Cordemais Power Station Expansion near the village of Cordemais, Nantes has reopened the Cordemais 3 oil-fired generating unit at the existing Cordemais power station owned and operated by EDF; the 185 million euro expansion would add 700 megawatts to the existing 1900 megawatt station.[11] In February 2006 Power in Europe, an energy trade newsletter, reported that the "additional 700 MW to come from re-opening a closed unit at cost of €50 million, plus €55 million spend to improve performance of existing operational units. €80 million to be spent on Nox reductions. the project is part of EDF's programme to increase capacity by 3,100 MW by 2008."[12] This project is now completed with EDF stating in its 2007 annual report that the Cordemais 3 unit was "brought back into service as planned, after being shut down for 12 years".[13]
  • Le Havre Power Station, Normandy: In April 2008 Power in Europe, an energy trade newsletter, reported that in November 2007 Endesa France mentioned "plans for a ‘zero-emission’ 700-MW plant based on clean coal technology at the Channel port of Le Havre. Its other developments on established coal sites are gas-fired CC projects."[14] (See also France and coal)

Germany

Due to the extensive nature of the listing of proposed coal fired power stations in Germany, the listing has been moved to a side page. See Coal power plant proposals in Germany

Greece

  • Agios Nikolaos Power Station in Beotia is proposed by Mytilineos and Endesa, which have formed a joint venture company named Endesa Hellas, to have an installed capacity of 600 megawatts; the estimated cost is 890 million euros. A securities analyst reported in May 2007 that the company had submitted an application for a power generation license.[15] In July 2007, Endesa Hellas reported that the company aimed to have the "clean coal" plant online by the first half of 2013. (It also flagged that plans for a "clean coal" plant of unstated capacity were under development for a location in Albania).[16]
  • Astakos Power Station in Etoloakarnania is a proposal by T-Power - a consortium of Edison and Hellenic Petroleum -- for a 600 megawatt project that Power in Europe describes as being in the "pre-proposal" stage.[17](See also Greece and coal)

Hungary

  • Matra Power Station, is a coal fired co-generation plant proposed by Matrai Erömu, which is majority-owned by RWE and the the Hungarian Electricity Works, to have an installed capacity of 2,000 megawatts. However, RWE does not list the project as being amongst its "power plant new-build" list.[18] On its website RWE states that "the company operates an 800 MW lignite-fired power plant that is supplied with coal from two opencast mines. Matra is Hungary’s second largest power producer and extracts half of the country's lignite." It also stated that in late 2006 and early 2007 two topping gas turbines (TGT) were commissioned at the plant which "have raised the capacity of the connected power plant units by some 10 per cent."[19] (See also Hungary and coal)

Italy

  • Civitavecchia/ Torrevaldaliga Nord 1 & 2 Power Station in Lazio is proposed by Enel Produzione SpA to have three 660 megawatt units with an installed capacity of 1980 megawatts at a cost of €1.5 billion. This project is currently being developed. Power in Europe reported in April 2008 that the first 660-MW unit was expected to be commissioned "this year" with two scheduled to be commissioned in 2009. The newsletter reported that the project had encountered stiff opposition including hunger strikes in May 2007. The year before Enel was mired in legal controversy. In February 2006 regional authorities suspended the project on the grounds that the company lacked full authorization for the coal loading jetty. In March 2006 Enel appealed the decision and, in May, was cleared to proceed.[20]
  • Porto Tolle Power Station is a proposal by Enel Produzione SpA for a oil-to-coal conversion with an installed capacity of 2000 megawatts and a notional commissioning date of 2012-13. Power in Europe noted in June 2007 that the project was "still awaiting environmental clearance and final approval from MAP. Project ‘not a foregone conclusion’ says Enel’s Fulvio Conti, but Enel maintains 2012-13 horizon.". It also noted that this was a similar proposal to the Civitavecchia project in Lazio. The newsletter states that both the projects "have struggled against sustained environmental opposition and political change."[20]
  • Rossano Calabro Power Station has been proposed by Enel Produzione SpA to conver the oil-fired station to coal. The proposed installed capacity is not known. In May 2005 it was reported that the municipal council of Rossano voted unanimously against the project and that Enel abandoned the project.[21]
  • Sulcis Power Station is proposed to have an installed capacity of 450 megawatts. However, a U.S. Department of Energy report lists "Sulcis IGCC Project" as being a 957 megawatt project with a notional commissioning date of 2009.[22]

Netherlands

  • Eemshaven Power Station is proposed by RWE to have an installed capacity of 1600 megawatts and to come on line by after 2011/2012. It has been approved for construction. On its website, RWE states that "the authorities in charge at the Eemshaven location in Groningen province are currently processing the request for approval (MER) for building the plant. RWE submitted the records in January 2007."[23]RWE lists it as one of its major capital investments at a cost of 2.2 billion euros.[24]
  • Magnum IGCC Power Station – Eemshaven is proposed by Nuon to have an installed capacity of 1300 megawatts and cost 1 billion euors to construct. The plant, which was originally proposed in September 2005, has been approved to run on syngas derived from coal. Power in Europe noted in Spetember 2007 "Nuon decides to build this plant in phases because of doubling of costs relating to construction and equipment for gasification plant. A 1.2-GW natural gas-fired combined cycle plant will be built first (completion foreseen 2011), followed by coal/biomass gasification plant, replacing natural gas with syngas. Nuon expects within two years to take a decision on the construction of the gasification plant." The newsletter noted that the "the station is to be CO2-capture-ready at latest by 2013."[25]
  • Maasvlakte Power Station (E.ON) in Rotterdam is proposed by E.ON to have an installed capacity of 1100 megawatts with a njotional commissioning date of 2011/12. In April 2008 Power in Europe noted that "E.ON says all it needs to proceed is a natural habitat license and a construction licence, which it hopes to get in early 2008. Greenpeace asks Council of State to strike down environmental licenses granted to E.ON Benelux for this project."[25]
  • Maasvlakte Power Station (Electrabel) in Rotterdam is proposed by Electrabel to have an installed capacity of 800 megawatts and run on coal and biomass. The notional commissioning date is 2011 or 2012. It is a part of a 3,500 megawatt generation plan by the company which will cost 3.5 billion euros. The project was approved in December 2007 and is proposed to be run on up to 80% biomass.[25]
  • Geertruidenberg Power Station is proposed by [Essent]] to have an installed capacity of 800-1100 megawatts.[25] The project has been approved and will be fired predominantly with coal and 30% by biomass. In May 2008 Essent canceled the proposal stating that it was because it had received limited emission rights for carbon dioxide.[26] (See also Netherlands and coal)

Norway

  • Husnes Power Station in west Norway is a proposal by Sor-Norge Aluminium for a 400 megawatt coal-fired power station with a notional commissioning date of 2011. Power in Europe newsletter, which classses the project as being in the "pre-proposal" stage, noted that in November 2006 "the €551 million" project would be a joiunt venture with three other major industrial companies, Tinfos, Eramet, Sargas. "No applications made yet," it noted.[27]

Poland

  • Opole Power Station is proposed by Elektrownia Opole, S.A. to have an installed capacity of 960 megawatts.
  • Belchatow 2 Power Station in Rogowiec is proposed by Alstom for Elektrownia Belchatow to have an installed capacity of 833 megawatts and cost over 900 million euros. It is proposed that the plant will be commissioned in October 2010.[28][29] Alstom Poland state that in October 2008 the company signed a contract with the Polish utility BOT Elektrownia Belchatow SA to build what "will be the largest power plant ever built in the country ... The plant would generate 10% less CO2 on a per KWh basis than the typical coal plant in the region."[30] The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which funded the project, states on its website that "the project represents a major step in upgrading existing generating assets in Poland to ensure that they meet EU environmental legislation post 2008, notably requirements of the EU Large Combustion Plant and IPPC directives. The project is also an integral part of Polish governmental energy security program."[31]
  • an unnamed power station has been proposed by GE to have an installed capacity of 900 megawatts at a cost of 787 million euros. The plant would be an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) project.
  • Patnow II Power Station is a 464 megawatt unit proposed by Zespol Elektrowni Patnow-Adamow-Konin, S.A. with a contracted commissioning date of December 31, 2007.[32]
  • Piast Ruch Power Station is a proposal by RWE for a 800 megawatt power station to be built on the Piast Ruch II coal mine in the village of Wola in Silesia. The project will be a joint venture between RWE and Kompania Węglowa, which owns the minesite and will supply the coal. It is proposed that the 1.5 billion euro project be commissioned in 2015.[33] In June 2008 RWE and Kompania Węglowa stated that the project would consume approximately 2.5 million tonnes of locally produced hard coal a year. The joint venturers have flagged that they are aiming to get approvals for the project in 2009-2010. [34] (See also Poland and coal)

Romania

  • Braila Power Station Expansion: In June 2008 the state-owned Romanian company Termoelectrica and a consortium comprising E.ON Kraftwerke and Enel announced that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding "for the development of the Braila power plant project, for a new 800 MW coal-fired production capacity. The project will also utilize the existing assets from the power plant currently in operation ... Based on the results of the feasibility study, expected by the end of 2008, the parties will decide whether or not to implement the power plant project." The media release also states that "the plant will be prepared for CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) -technology."[35] (See also Romania and coal)

Slovakia

United Kingdom

In a table in the January 2008 edition of the ENDS Report, James Richens lists existing proposals for new coal-fired power stations as including:[37]

Schwarzenegger clause

In October 2008, the European Parliament's Environment Committee voted to support a limit on CO2 emissions for all new coal plants built in the EU after 2015. The so-called "Schwarzenegger clause" applies to all plants with a capacity over 300MW, and limits their annual CO2 emissions to a maximum of 500 grammes per kilowatt hour. The new emissions standard essentially rules out traditional coal plant technologies and mandates the use of Carbon Capture and Storage technologies. The Committee also adopted an amendment to support the financing of 12 large-scale commercial CCS demonstration projects, at a cost that could exceed €10 billion.[39][40]

Reports

Articles and Resources

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Coal on the rocks", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008.
  2. ↑ Emily Rochon, "Coal-fired Power Stations and the European Union", Greenpeace International, November 29, 2007. (This report is a 1MB PDF file).
  3. ↑ [ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/ccs/pdf/wwf_ccs.pdf "CCS: an uncomfortable but necessary option,"] WWF International, European Policy Office, 1/30/08 (citing IEA statistics)
  4. ↑ "Visualizations: OECD vs world population" Many Eyes, accessed 10/08
  5. ↑ "Coal-fired power generation makes a comeback as gas prices soar", Platts, January 17, 2006.
  6. ↑ "PiE's new power plant tracker - April 2008", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008, page 9.
  7. ↑ E.ON Kraftwerke, "E.ON plans hard coal fired power station in Antwerp harbour area", Media Release, November 29, 2007.
  8. ↑ E.ON Kraftwerke, "The new hard-coal power plant in Antwerpen", E.ON Kraftwerke website, accessed July 2008.
  9. ↑ "E.ON to build 1.1 gigawatt coal plant in Antwerp", Flanders Investment and Trade, November 29, 2007.(The original report was in the Gazet van Antwerpen newspaper).
  10. ↑ "Bulgaria to Open Procedure for Construction of New Thermal Plant", Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency), June 22, 2008.
  11. ↑ EDF, "EDF brings into service a quarter of its planned new generation capacity in France", Media Release, January 23, 2008.
  12. ↑ "PiE;s new power plant tracker - April 2008", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008, page 14.
  13. ↑ EDF, 2007 Annual Report, page 62.
  14. ↑ "PiE;s new power plant tracker - April 2008", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008, page 16.
  15. ↑ "JV with Endesa provides great prospects in Greece and SE Europe", Beta Securities, May 10, 2007.
  16. ↑ Endesa Hellas, "ENDESA Hellas Board of Directors: Convenes to Decisions", Media Release, July 30, 2007.
  17. ↑ "PiE’s new power plant project tracker – April 2008", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008, page 24.
  18. ↑ RWE, "Power plant new-build", RWE website, undated, accessed July 2008.
  19. ↑ "Lignite", RWE website, accessed July 2008.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "PiE’s new power plant project tracker – April 2008", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008, page 29.
  21. ↑ "Enel: Coal Plan in Difficult Straits", Satffetta News, May 19, 2005.
  22. ↑ U.S. Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory, "Gasification World Database 2007", October 2007, page 19.
  23. ↑ RWE, "Eemshaven power plant", RWE website, accessed July 2008.
  24. ↑ RWE, "RWE Facts & Figures 2007", RWE website,, May 2007, page 137.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 "PiE’s new power plant project tracker – April 2008", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008, page 32.
  26. ↑ "Essent stops construction of coal-powered plant", Expatica.com, May 30, 2008.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "PiE’s new power plant project tracker – April 2008", Power in Europe, Issue 523, April 7, 2008, page 34.
  28. ↑ Alstom, "Alstom to supply the largest clean coal power plant ever built in Poland", Alstom website, October 16, 2006.
  29. ↑ Alstom, "Belchatow", Alrom website, accessed July 2008.
  30. ↑ Alstom, "ALSTOM in Poland: A highly promising market", Alstom website, undated, accessed July 2008.
  31. ↑ European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Belchatow II: Environmental Impact Assessment, August 2005.
  32. ↑ ZE PAK, "History of the Construction Project", ZE PAK website, accessed July 2008.
  33. ↑ RWE, "RWE planning to invest 1.5 billion euros in Polish power generation sector", Media Release, June 12, 2008.
  34. ↑ RWE and , "Press Meeting of RWE and Kompania Węglowa", June 12, 2008, pages 10-11. (Large Pdf file).
  35. ↑ Enel, "Termoelelctrica, E.ON and Enel Sign Agreement for Coal Fired Power Plant in Romania", Media Release, June 18, 2008.
  36. ↑ "Objections mount to proposal for new power station in Slovakia", ITN, August 27, 2007.
  37. ↑ James Richens, "King coal promises to clean up", ENDS Report 396, January 2008, pp 26-29.
  38. ↑ Terry Macalister, "Centrica plans cleanest coal power plant in UK", Guardian, November 9, 2006.
  39. ↑ "EU vote makes CCS ‘mandatory’ for coal power plants," Carbon Capture Journal, October 8, 2008. (Subscription required.)
  40. ↑ "Equipping power plants to store CO2 underground," European Parliament press release, October 7, 2008.

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