Cycling protesters hit out at Blyth power station plan

Posted by The Journal on May 5, 09 11:01 AM in News

Green protesters and a local community yesterday joined forces to slam plans for a new power station.

Activists from the Coal Caravan joined with PANiC Stations and Make Poverty History North East to fight proposals to build a coal-fired power station at Cambois, near Blyth in Northumberland.

Climate Camp protester at Cambois

Anna Harris from Hexham, who joined with the 'Coal Caravan' which arrived at Cambois after members cycled up from Nottingham.

Campaigners cycled more than 250 miles from Nottingham to meet people living next to the suggested site.

They staged a day of workshops and talks as well as a screening of climate change film The Age of Stupid, which was powered by pedalling bikes.

En route, the group - part of the Climate Camp movement who staged a protest during the G20 summit in London - visited sites including Dipton in Stanley, County Durham, where there is a bid for an open-cast mine.

North East coordinator for the Coal Caravan, Anna Harris, said: "One of the reasons we have cycled here is to show how close together all the proposed sites for power stations and open-cast mines in the North are. We want to bring people in different areas together.

"We have learnt a lot from the people we have spoken to along the way about how these power stations will affect their lives," added the 25-year-old, a cycle trainer from Hexham.

"The North of England too often gets ignored by lobbyists in London, but we are all fighting the same giant."

Bosses at RWE npower have been trying to win support for the new power station, which they say will bring 3,000 construction and 200 permanent jobs to the village.

It would be on the site of the former Blyth Power Station - but would have up to six times the old capacity.

But people in the village have turned their backs on the £2bn plan.

Malcolm Reid, coordinator for PANiC Stations (People Against New Coal-fired Power Stations) said: "The majority of people here remember the filth of the old power station - the noise from the transport and the dust from the ash, as well as how hideous it was.

"The new station would only bring a handful of jobs.

"Most of the construction work would be specialist, and a lot of computers will be used for day-to-day running.

"The Government should instead be investing in renewable energy.

"Blyth already has the majority of Northumberland's wind turbines, and it is an ideal location for a large scale offshore wind farm which could provide more energy than all the proposed coal-fired power stations.

"Cambois is also a prime location for developing and manufacturing turbines."

Dorothy O'Connor, who lives in Cambois, said people in the village did not object to wind farms being built.

"People say they don't want a wind turbine near their home," she said, "but if they had the choice between that or a power station, I know what they would chose.

"I was shocked when I saw the scale of the proposal, it is enormous. It would be right behind the school," added the 59-year-old.

"The village is a prime location for other developments. Coal power is not the way to bring jobs back."

Dr David Golding CBE, development coordinator for Make Poverty History North East and chair of PANiC Stations said: "There are both local concerns and global ones surrounding new coal power stations - and both are entirely legitimate.

"Climate change scientists have already predicted that 400 million people will become refugees because of climate change this century.

"That is the equivalent of the population of Europe."

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