Climate campaigners carried out a day-long demonstration at Kingnorth power station in protest against coal-fired plans for the plant.
Dozens of eco-activists set foot on the station’s jetty yesterday afternoon, having reached the plant in a nine-boat flotilla led by the Greenpeace’s iconic Rainbow Warrior vessel.
The group carried flags of the 30 least polluting countries onto E.ON soil.
Greenpeace said the proposed new plant would emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as these nations combined.
A team of six protestors also reached a small concrete island owned by E.ON.
The breakaway party hoped to beam images of climate change disaster and the words ‘Gordon Bin It’ onto the plant’s walls throughout the night but their generator failed.
Protestor Ben Stewart – one of the Kingsnorth Six acquitted last month of causing criminal damage at the power plant – said: “We had hoped to project images of climate disaster onto the power station all night because a new coal plant here would be a huge blow to the fight against global warming.
“A new Kingsnorth would emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined, and destroy any chance we have of persuading China and India to stop building coal plants.
“Coal is the most climate-wrecking form of electricity generation yet invented, that’s why we scaled the chimney last year, and that’s why we’re back.
“We have to stop E.ON building a new Kingsnorth.”
E.ON served the activists with a high court injunction at 9.30pm, which demanded the protestors untie their boat from the coal delivery jetty.
The Rainbow Warrior vessel remained moored at the power plant until 1am before the activists finally decided to sail away.
Greenpeace’s executive director John Sauven, who is on the ship, said: “Kingsnorth is one of the most important climate change decisions any politician faces anywhere in the world right now.
“If the government gives E.ON the green light, it will be saying to China and India that we can have another century of coal burning, with profoundly dangerous implications for our climate.
“But if it says no to coal, Britain could then embrace a clean energy future, creating tens of thousands of green collar jobs and a new manufacturing base, whilst also slashing emissions.”
E.ON press officer Jonathan Smith said: "We absolutely support the campaigners' right to protest but clearly tying up boats to a working power station is just ridiculous.
"I would not do it so why on earth so they think they can do it?"
Earlier this week the directors of groups including Oxfam, the Women’s Institute and Tearfund boarded the Rainbow Warrior to sign a declaration committing themselves to stopping a new Kingsnorth.
The new power station would emit about eight million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year – the same as the existing plant – and would spell the end of the UK’s chances of meeting its own carbon reduction targets.
POSTED: 30/10/2008 10:16:30
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