RWE abandons plans for 1600 MW plant

3 December 2007


Germany’s RWE Power says that it will abandon plans to build a 1600 MW hard coal fired power plant in Ensdorf, Germany owing to opposition to the project by local residents.

In a public vote with a turnout of 70 per cent, just 30 per cent of Ensdorf residents voted in favour of amending the town’s land use development plan to allow the project to proceed. RWE said that it would not go ahead with the project “against the will of the citizens”, and that it would withdraw its application for approval filed with the Saarland Ministry for the Environment.

In a statement, RWE said it regrets that it will be unable to realise the EUR2.2 billion project. It also remarked that “Rejecting large-scale projects would result in extending the lifetimes of older plants and in foreign power producers gaining market shares”.

RWE asked voters to give reasons for their rejection of the project and the company says that it will now analyse these. It says that the rejection of such a major project is of great concern due to the important role that coal and high-efficiency coal-fired power plants play in Germany’s economy.

“We truly regret that we are unable to realise this important project in Ensdorf,” said Dr. Jürgen Großmann, CEO of RWE AG. “Our country nevertheless needs new, state-of-the-art and clean power plants in order to stabilise prices, boost competition and help mitigate climate change.”




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