Kingsnorth Resurrected?

Despite the victory last year by local activists against the expansion of Kingsnorth Power station, it appears that the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Government has once again showed its total and utter duplicity and dishonesty.

The coalition is watering down a commitment to tough new environmental emissions standards, resurrecting the very real possibility of the return of dirty coal-fired power stations, including at our very own Kingsnorth.

This blog supported Green organisations and local campaigners during the anti-Kingsnorth campaign because it did not believe that the science of sequestration had been tested or proven on the scale required for Kingsnorth. In addition, this blog raised the very real concern of air quality and the fact that Medway already suffers from poor quality air, but would only get worse if an expanded dirty coal power station was situated nearby.

Green groups are aghast that a flagship policy called for in opposition by both Lib Dems and Tories, and which they last year tried to force on the Labour government, will now not be implemented in the coalition's first energy bill to be published this year.

This is a bare-faced lie given to Liberal Democrat supporters. Local PPCs and MPs made political hay out of the issue and even attended the event. The same anti-Kingsnorth Lib Dems are now silent. Disgraceful behaviour which shows opportunism at its worst.

The criticism of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative commitment to green issues follows news last week that nature reserves could be sold off as countryside protection measures also bear the brunt of budget cuts in the Department for Environment.

Introducing a so-called "environmental performance standard" (EPS) for power companies would have restricted greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas plants and encouraged companies wishing to build to use more efficient technology.

The introduction of an EPS was personally championed by David Cameron, George Osborne and Nick Clegg when in opposition; their opposition to Kingsnorth became something of a cause célèbre – and even features in the coalition agreement – but was opposed by energy companies and Tory backbenchers.

The chief executive at one coal-plant operating company warned that the UK's renewable energy technology – which would be used to help new plants meet the target – was too undeveloped to make the EPS feasible.

Now government sources confirm they will not be bringing forward legislation in the autumn and will instead spend the summer working on "the larger picture". They will open a consultation on the idea in the autumn with the results being presented to parliament as a white paper in the new year.

Green campaigners believe this is noncommittal for a policy both parts of the coalition said could be implemented immediately when in opposition.

They believe a delay in the introduction of the standard until next year – with a few years for the legislation to pass through the house and for it to be set up – raises the possibility of new coal-fire power stations slipping through the system.

The news comes as more than 14,000 people have objected to plans for a similar new coal-fired power station at Hunterston in Ayrshire

Greenpeace energy campaigner, Joss Garman, said:

"David Cameron made the introduction of new rules to stop the most polluting power stations one of his flagship green policies, and Nick Clegg helped ensure it was a key part of the coalition agreement.

Both Lib Dem and Conservative MPs voted for the introduction of such a measure just a few months ago, and if they U-turn on this and fail to put this measure into their new energy law, how can they claim to be the greenest government ever?"

This blog will continue to oppose any new Kingsnorth proposal until the science behind Carbon sequestration can be proven.