Quit coal - Greenpeace tells Indonesia?s Energy Minister

(February 12, 2009) Greenpeace today took direct action to expose the true cost of coal at Cilacap coal plant on Central Java?s south coast. Greenpeace is denouncing the faulty projections by Indonesia?s Energy ministry to justify the building of new coal plants that do not take into account so-called "external costs" such as respiratory diseases, mining accidents, acid rain, smog pollution, reduced agricultural yields and climate change.

Enlarge ImageCilacap, Indonesia ? Greenpeace today took direct action to expose the true cost of coal at Cilacap coal plant on Central Java?s south coast. Greenpeace is denouncing the faulty projections by Indonesia?s Energy ministry to justify the building of new coal plants that do not take into account so-called "external costs" such as respiratory diseases, mining accidents, acid rain, smog pollution, reduced agricultural yields and climate change.

Early this morning, 40 Greenpeace activists and local community representatives, wearing white masks to symbolise the health risks to local communities, chained themselves to the gates of the Cilacap coal plant. The activists are calling upon Indonesia's Minister of Energy, Mr. Purnomo Yusgiantoro, to commit Indonesia and her people to a clean and secure energy future. Greenpeace today also launched the Indonesian version of the landmark report "True Cost of Coal" (1), that details the external costs to local communities and the global climate of continued dependence on the dirtiest and most polluting of fuels.

"Indonesia may have the region's most abundant coal resources, but it also has large untapped reserves of geo-thermal, wind and solar energy. (2) Unfortunately, the development of the country's renewable energy potential has been stymied by the coal mafia that rules our energy ministry", said Arif Fiyanto, Climate and Energy campaigner of Greenpeace.

"We have seen at Cilacap the direct impact of coal on human health in the form of increased respiratory diseases, loss of livelihood due to local pollution impacts on agriculture and fisheries, and social impacts, such as community displacement and loss of cultural heritage." He added.

The Cilacap coal plant, operated by private company PT Segara Sumber Prima, is due to double in generating capacity from 600 to 1200 MW, as part of a misguided national energy plan to add an extra 10,000 MW of coal generated electricity to meet Indonesia's future energy demand.

An Anti-Coal Coalition consisting of various groups including KAM Cilacap, JATAM, Walhi, Sekolah Demokrasi Ekonomi and Greenpeace, have launched a campaign against the building of new, and expansion of existing, coal power plants in Indonesia.

In the report released today Greenpeace and the independent Dutch research institute CE Delft have analysed that the conservative costs that coal exacted on humans and the environment in 2007 are:

-the approximate annual damage burden of coal combustion in power plants, from the factors examined, is roughly ?355.75 billion

-the approximate global damage burden related to accidents in the coal power chain, from the factors examined, is ?161.28 million

-the approximate annual damage costs of mining, from the factors examined, is ?674million.(end of release)