News this evening that plans to build a £1 billion coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth were shelved today as owner E.ON blamed lower demand for electricity because of the recession.
The Kingsnorth station had been at the centre of protests over fears that the new plant would increase carbon emissions and climate change. The original plan by EOm cited the fitting of unproven carbon sequestration technology with no evidence or proof that the science would work. There were also concerns about other emissions and the effect on the Medway conurbation.
German-owned E.ON cited “economic conditions” for the decision, which means the existing power station at Kingsnorth will close before the end of 2015. E.ON's UK chief executive Dr Paul Golby said: “The economic conditions are still not right for us to progress.”
This blog opposed the expansion of Kingsnorth in 2008/2009 because the science of carbon sequestration had not been proven. It however does not support the wholesale closing of the site which has the potential and infrastructure to remain a power plant for future development.
The Kingsnorth development became a major issue during the General Election when the company submitted plans for pipeline expansion. Both Labour and Conservative candidates supported the expansion of the Kingsnorth site. This blog took an independent position and opposed development.
E.ON first applied for permission to build the Kingsnorth power plant in 2006, but then asked for the decision to be put off until ministers had made a decision on whether it must be fitted with carbon capture technology.
Ed Miliband, then the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, correctly ruled that new coal-fired plants would have to fit the new technology.
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