European Tribune - Comments - "Koch must go. Period. End. Off."

"Koch must go. Period. End. Off." | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

In less welcome news from Germany (4.00 / 4)

Apparently, the strange CDU-Greens coalition in the city-state of Hamburg produced its first decision that shall be self-destructive to the Greens: the approval to the new coal power plant the Greens steadfastly opposed in the campaign, even if approval with strict conditions. More details if I have the stomach to read up on it.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue Sep 30th, 2008 at 06:22:13 PM EST

Re: In less welcome news from Germany (none / 0)

Hehe, the Vattenfall one?

My tax kronor at work, bringing down the German anti-nukes. ;)

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid (arvid.hallen at gmail.com) on Tue Sep 30th, 2008 at 07:25:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: In less welcome news from Germany (4.00 / 4)

It doesn't make inspiring reading:

Hamburg sagt Ja zur Kohle		Hamburg says yes to coal
[...] Der Energiekonzern Vattenfall darf das umstrittene Steinkohlekraftwerk Hamburg-Moorburg bauen. Allerdings mit Einschränkungen, wie die von Grünen-Umweltsenatorin Anja Hajduk geleitete Stadtentwicklungsbehörde bekannt gab. Die für den Betrieb erforderliche wasserrechtliche Erlaubnis wurde demnach teilweise versagt: Zum Schutz der Elbe wird das Kraftwerk voraussichtlich im Durchschnitt an 250 Tagen im Jahr mit gedrosselter Leistung betrieben werden müssen.		[...] The electrical power corporation Vattenfall may build the controversial pit-coal power plant at Hamburg-Moorburg, but with restrictions, according to the city development authority headed by the Green Senator for Environmental Affairs, Anja Hajduk. The water use permits for necessary for the operation of the power plant were granted only in part: to protect the Elbe, the plant will likely be forced to operate at less than full capacity on 250 days per year on average.
Gegenüber dem Tagesspiegel sagte die Vorsitzende der Grünen in Hamburg, Katharina Fegebank: ,,Da gibt es nichts schönzureden: Dass unsere grüne Umweltsenatorin heute ein Kohlekraftwerk genehmigen musste, ist für uns alle eine krachende Niederlage. Wir haben bis zuletzt gegen das inakzeptable Klimamonster in Moorburg gekämpft und verloren - auch wenn die wasserrechtliche Erlaubnis teilweise verweigert wurde." Hajduk selbst betonte, die Entscheidung stehe ihrer persönlichen Ansicht entgegen. Um ein Gleichgewicht zum Monopolisten Vattenfall herzustellen, werde die Hansestadt einen eigenen Versorger gründen. Er werde den Namen ,,Hamburg Energie" tragen. Außerdem werde die Stadt einen eigenständigen Netzbetreiber suchen.		Katharina Fegebank, Chairperson of the Greens in Hamburg, told the Tagesspiegel: "There's no way to spin this: The fact that our Green Environmental Senator was forced to approve a coal-fired power plant today is a resounding defeat. We fought this unacceptable climate monster in Moorsburg to the bitter end and lost - even though the water rights permit was partially withheld." Hajduk herself stressed that the decision is in opposition to her personal views. She added that the city would found its own utility company, to be named "Hamburg Energie". The city would also seek an independent grid operator.
[...]		[...]
Im Oktober 2006 hatte der Energiekonzern den Antrag für den 1640-Megawatt-Meiler mit 650 Megawatt Fernwärmeauskopplung eingereicht. Gegen das Projekt hat es daraufhin rund 1700 schriftliche Einwendungen gegeben, die in einer fünftägigen Erörterung mündeten. Den vorläufigen Baustart hatte im November 2007 noch der allein regierende CDU-Senat unter Vorbehalt der wasser- und emissionsrechtlichen Genehmigung bewilligt, aber immer betont, Vattenfall handele damit auf eigenes Risiko. Seitdem hat das Unternehmen nach eigenen Angaben 300 Millionen Euro in das Objekt investiert und dazu Auftragsbestellungen in Höhe von 1,6 Milliarden Euro getätigt.		The energy company submitted an application for a 1640 MW plant with 650 MW of distance heating in October 2006. This move generated around 1700 written objections to the project, which resulted in five days of hearings. The previous CDU-majority Senate approved the provisional start of construction in November 2007 with reservation of permits under water and emission law, but repeatedly emphasized that Vattenfall was acting at its own risk. Since than, the company says it has invested EUR 300 million in this project and placed orders totaling EUR 1.6 billion.

Other sources say the water restriction means that the plant could only operate at half capacity, but they don't seem authoritative.

I'm having a hard time understanding why Hajduk felt her hand was forced. But presumably the CDU is not all that upset to see their junior coalition partner become damaged goods so soon after the election.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Wed Oct 1st, 2008 at 04:05:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: In less welcome news from Germany (4.00 / 2)

From the language, it appears it was a formal approval decision based on criteria, and she failed to find criteria to prevent it.

The capacity restriction seems a final ray of hope: maybe it can turn the project unprofitable.

I'll soon post another Green reaction.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Oct 1st, 2008 at 04:09:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: In less welcome news from Germany (4.00 / 3)

Hamburgs Grüne vor der Zerreißprobe - Politik - Deutschland - Handelsblatt.com		Endurance Test awaits Hamburg's Greens - Politics - Germany - Handelsblatt.com
...Damit nicht zu viel Kühlwasser aus der Elbe entnommen wird, müsse das Kraftwerk aber voraussichtlich an 250 Tagen im Jahr mit gedrosselter Leistung gefahren werden. Im Schnitt könne es damit nur zu zwei Drittel seiner Kapazität genutzt werden.		... To not take too much water from the Elbe river, the plant has to be run at reduced capacity for an expected 250 days a year. On average, it could be used at only two-thirds of its capacity.
Hajduk begründete die Genehmigung damit, dass der Klimaschutz nach geltender Rechtslage kein Kriterium für das Votum sein konnte, sondern nur der Gewässerschutz. Zudem muss Vattenfall das Werk mit der CCS-Technologie, die die CO2-Abscheidung ermöglicht, nachrüsten, "sobald dies technisch, rechtlich und wirtschaftlich möglich ist".		[New Hamburg environment minister Anja] Hajduk justified the approval by saying thatclimate protection cannot be a criterion for the decision on the basis of existing law, only the water pollution can. Furthermore, Vattenfall has to retrofit the plant with CCS technology, which allows CO2 capture, "as soon as technically, legally and economically feasible."

So far the details on conditions, though there are enough weasel words under the second to make it questionable. Now an interesting comment from the federal leadership:

Der Vize-Fraktionschef der Grünen im Bundestag, Jürgen Trittin, hat die Genehmigung derweil verteidigt. Die grüne Umweltsenatorin in Hamburg, Anja Hajduk, "hat ihren Spielraum voll genutzt", sagte er dem Handelsblatt. Zugleich sagte der designierte Spitzenkandidat der Grünen für die Bundestagswahl 2009 voraus, dass die Genehmigung dem Betreiber Vattenfall "nicht nur Freude machen wird". Nach der Genehmigung darf der Konzern das Kraftwerk nur zu zwei Dritteln nutzen. Das sei aber noch nicht alles, sagte Trittin: "Wenn weitere Ansiedler auf das Elbwasser zugreifen sind auch weitere Einschränkungen des Betriebs bei Vattenfall möglich. Das heißt, der Konzern hat für seine Investitionen nur eine sehr relative Investitionssicherheit."		Meanwhile, the vice-chief of the Greens group in the Bundestag, Jürgen Trittin, has defended the approval. The green environmental senator in Hamburg, Anja Hajduk, "fully exploited her leeway," he told the Handelsblatt. At the same time, the selected top candidate of the Greens for the 2009 federal elections predicted that the approval "won't bring only joy" for operator Vattenfall. After the approval, the company will be allowed to use the power plant only at two-thirds capacity. And that's not all, Trittin said: "If more local inhabitants access the water of the Elbe, Vattenfall may be faced with further operating restrictions. This means that the company has only a very relative investment security for its investments."
Trittin zeigte sich zuversichtlich, dass Hajduk auch die grüne Basis davon überzeugen könne, dass sie das rechtlich Machbare erreicht habe. "Die Alternative wäre ein rechtswidriges Verhalten gewesen." Der frühere Umweltminister verwies auf "das rechtliche Problem, dass wir heute keine Anlage allein durch den Hinweis auf Klimaschutz juristisch verhindern können". Damit stehe auch die erste schwarz-grüne Koalition nicht zur Disposition, denn es habe sich bei Moorburg nicht um eine Streitfrage mit der CDU gehandelt. "Auch eine grüne Alleinregierung hätte das nicht anders entscheiden können."		Trittin expressed his confidence that Hajduk will also convince the Green base that she achieved the legally feasible. "The alternative would have been an illegal practice." The former [federal] Environment Minister pointed to "the legal problem that we can't prevent a facility on the basis of climate protection alone". For this reason, the first Black-Green coalition is not up for disposal, either, because the issue of [the power plant at] Moorburg was not a contentious issue with the CDU. "Even a sole Green government could not have decided otherwise."

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Oct 1st, 2008 at 04:34:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

"Koch must go. Period. End. Off." | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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