Europe's "worst lobbying company" has strong Welsh links

16 December 2010

A company that has just won a Worst Lobbying Company in Europe award for 2010 [1] has strong links with Wales. RWEnpower [2], which operates the large Aberthaw power station, won the climate change category award because, according to the organisers, "it likes to portray itself as green.....but keeps pushing to keep its dirty coal and oil plants open"[3].

RWEnpower was specifically accused of lobbying against two key European Directives concerned with reducing industrial pollutants [4]. The company won 58 per cent of the almost 8,000 votes cast.

The company has come under fire in Wales for its operation of Aberthaw power station neat Barry. This is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide in Wales [5] and one of the largest emitters of nitrogen oxides, which harm human health and fuel acid rain and climate change, in Europe [6].

It has faced similar criticism for the new LNG-fired power station it is building at Pembroke. Friends of the Earth Cymru has submitted a complaint to Europe about this power station claiming it will breach European legislation designed to protect important wildlife sites [7].

The Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, Gordon James, said:

"RWEnpower's green credentials are seriously undermined by its involvement in political lobbying to weaken legislation aimed at cleaning up power stations. We welcome the company's investment in a number of important renewable energy projects in Wales and urge it to operate to the highest environmental standards across all its operations."

NOTES

1. The Worst EU Lobbying Awards 2010 are organised by Friends of the Earth Europe, Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyControl, Spinwatch.
2. RWE is a German owned company that operates Aberthaw power station near Barry and the North Hoyle offshore windfarm off the north Wales coast. It is building the new LNG-fired power station at Pembroke and the large Gwynt y Mor windfarm off the north Wales coast, and is planning to develop five on-shore windfarms in Wales, the large Atlantic Array windfarm off the south Wales coast, and, along with E.ON UK, a new nuclear power station at Wylfa on Anglesey.
3. www.worstlobby.eu/2010/nominee/rwe-npower
4. "RWE has been lobbying over two key pieces of EU legislation - the Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) and the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), that supersedes the LCPD and which was passed by the European Parliament in July 2010. Both Directives are concerned with reducing key industrial pollutants, such as sulphur and nitrous oxides, although they indirectly impact carbon dioxide emissions too." Further details of RWE npower's lobbying
5. Carbon Dioxide Emitters in Wales, National Assembly of Wales, December 2009 (Table 2 page 19)
6. Environmental Audit Committee evidence showing top 20 NOx producing point sources in the EU-27 member states
7. Friends of the Earth Cymru's complaint to the EC about Pembroke power station

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