Will Coal-Fired Power Stations Backfire on Gordon Brown?
It has been reported that Gordon Brown is to back the construction of a new generation of coal fired power stations. Power companies are now being given permission to construct at least two new coal-fired stations with a view to more being built at later stages. It’s a controversial move that is guaranteed to anger environmental campaigners and climate change scientists as burning coal produces more CO2 for each unit of energy generated than any other type of fuel. The argument is that as old plants are shutting down, Britain needs the new coal power stations to prevent future power shortages. Brown is also insisting that any new plants built will be fitted with a new technology that will capture CO2 and store it underground, however this technology has never been tested on an active power station before, thus can not be proven. It seems ironic that this long after the closure of Britain’s coal-mines we are now taking a U-turn. Coal-fired power plants are not the only way of generating
