Greenpeace International: Greenpeace blockades coal fired power station, demands Energy [R]evolution

27 Greenpeace activists are taking non-violent direct action to stop climate-changing coal from being burnt at Eraring, Australia's most polluting coal-fired power plant. The activists, including an ex-miner from the Hunter Valley, have blockaded the coal supply to the plant by locking on to the conveyor. The action comes as the Australian government's climate change advisor Professor Ross Garnaut prepares to deliver his Draft Climate Change Review.

“We have to stop fuelling climate change when creating electricity,” said Greenpeace Australia climate and energy campaigner Simon Roz. “Eraring, an old and inefficient plant, is one of eight coal-fired power stations in New South Wales. These plants are responsible for half the state's and 13% of Australia's greenhouse pollution. Eraring is the biggest culprit, sending nearly 20 million tonnes of greenhouse pollution into the atmosphere every year. Each hour we blockade the coal supply, we will prevent 2,000 tonnes of CO2 being released.”

Greenpeace is calling on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to deliver policies that support renewable power so that Australia can immediately start replacing old and dirty coal-fired power. Part of that support should be a robust emissions trading scheme designed to deliver substantial cuts in greenhouse pollution quickly.

“The Government would do well to listen to Professor Garnaut and accept that they must implement an Emission Trading Scheme that does not pander to interests of the few over the needs of the whole country,” said Steve Shallhorn, Executive Director of Greenpeace Australia-Pacific.

Greenpeace has recently released two reports showing how renewables, combined with some gas co-generation and energy efficiency, can provide all of Australia's energy needs. The `Energy [R]evolution Scenario' (1) showed that renewables could replace all coal power by 2030. A second report, `A Just Transition to a Renewable Energy Economy in the Hunter'(2) found that replacing coal-fired generation with renewable power would create tens of thousands of local jobs.

Graham Brown, a retired coal miner from the Hunter Valley, said “I feel very strongly that we must start making the transition from coal-fired power to renewable energy. Coal communities have been taken advantage of by coal companies and governments. Renewable energy is the future and it's bright. Workers must be retrained and re-skilled so that they don't miss out. Renewable technology is already there, we don't have to wait 20 years for it. But we need a transition mechanism in place.”

Contacts
Louise Clifton, Greenpeace Australia-Pacific communications officer: +61 438 204 041
Simon Roz, Greenpeace Australia-Pacific climate & energy campaigner: +61 408 011 177
Michelle Thomas, Greenpeace Australia-Pacific audio-visual coordinator: +61 404 096 556

Broadcast quality audio-visuals will be available for download at:
http://media.greenpeace.org.au
username: photos password: green

Notes
(1) The Australian Energy [R]evolution scenario can be downloaded from http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/resources/reports/climate-change/energy-revolution-scenario-full.
A summary is available at http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/resources/reports/climate-change/energy-r-evolution-scenario

(2) The ‘A Just Transition to a Renewable Energy Economy in the Hunter’ report can be downloaded from http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/resources/reports/climate-change/just-transition-report