Damaging Pembrokeshire power station set to go ahead

09 November 2011

The Welsh Government has given the go-ahead to the Environment Agency to permit a nearly completed power station that will have a devastating impact on fragile and highly protected marine wildlife in Milford Haven.
 
Friends of the Earth Cymru, who in June 2010 submitted a complaint to the European Commission over the handling of the case by the UK Government and the Environment Agency [1], is very disappointed that the Welsh Government has failed to protect Pembrokeshire's magnificent environment.
 
The power station's damaging water cooling system has also been strongly opposed by the Welsh Government's environment experts, the Countryside Council for Wales.
 
Gareth Clubb, Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:
 
"The Welsh Government might be satisfied that a few tweaks to the Environment Agency's paperwork are enough to rubber stamp a highly damaging power station that's now almost complete.
 
"But this plant is still going to have a devastating impact on one of Europe's most important wildlife sites, it's still going to be using second-rate technology, and it will still be throwing away energy equivalent to 40 per cent of Wales' electricity demand.
 
"Millions of fish and other marine life could be destroyed every year in Pembrokeshire. If we're ever going to take protecting our environment seriously, we need to make sure this kind of debacle does not happen again.
 
"Major energy companies should not be allowed to push ahead damaging projects and expect to get the permission once it's too late to stop - especially when the technology exists that means jobs and industry do not have to be at the cost of a healthy environment."

NOTES

1. The European Commission is currently investigating the impact of the power station on the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation, following a complaint by Friends of the Earth Cymru.

For further information, please contact Friends of the Earth Cymru on 029 2022 9577