Electricity lobby warning on acid rain proposals

Date: 27/11/1997

By Chris Johnstone

EUROPE's electricity generators claim all coal-fired and many oil-fired power stations in the EU will close if proposals currently being drawn up to cut emissions responsible for acid rain are adopted.

"All coal-fired stations would close. It is apocalyptic but that is how it looks," said a spokesman for European electricity generators' lobby, Eurelectric, who added: "The strategy will lead to a massive fuel switching from coal and oil to gas, producing a significant increase in dependency on imported gas."

The warning is based on drafts of European Commission plans to cut the damage caused by acid rain by introducing much tighter limits on sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

Eurelectric says the Commission is looking for an "unrealistic" 97-99% reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions in six of the organisation's 17 member countries (the EU 15 plus Norway and Switzerland) and cuts of more than 90% in the remaining 11.

The proposed revision of the EU directive on emissions from large combustion installations has already been subject to four drafts, with a decision on the plan by the full Commission now delayed until the beginning of next year.

The revision forms a key part of the Commission's acidification strategy presented in June, which has set an overall goal of almost halving the area in Europe affected by critical levels of acidification by 2010.

Emissions of sulphur dioxide will have to be cut from 16.5 million tonnes in 1990 to 2.7 million to meet that target. Large power plants are responsible for 56% of sulphur dioxide and 19% of nitrogen oxide emissions in Europe.

Eurelectric claims that oil-fired power stations - which are normally less polluting than their coal-burning cousins - would also be severely hit, even if they use the cleanest, low sulphur grade fuel. "It would not be economically viable to carry out the work and we even have an argument as to whether it would be technically possible," said a spokesman.

This warning is echoed by Italy's biggest power generator, ENEL, which relies on oil-fired stations for around one-third of its electricity production. "If we have to improve some of the plants, the costs will be huge, running into billions of dollars," said a spokesman.

Under the Commission's acidification strategy, the biggest reductions in emissions will be required from Belgium (which will have to cut the area affected by the problem from 77 to 1.4%); Germany (from around 80% in 1990 to 11.3% by 2010); the Netherlands (from 88% to 7.3%); Italy (from 18% to 1.8%); and the UK (from 60% to 10.3%).

Eurelectric claims concerns have been expressed by most EU governments about the burden the Commission's strategy would place on member states, with only Sweden firmly supporting the Commission's approach.

The British government has already warned that the cost of the Commission's acidification strategy for the UK has been considerably underestimated at 1.7 billion ecu and has secured a commitment from the Commission and the Luxembourg presidency to look further at the real costs.

Eurelectric comment on Commission draft proposals to revise the EU Directive on emissions from large combustion installations.