Prague - The Czech Environmental Law Service (EPS) organisation wants to sue CEZ, the country´s majority power utility, over lacking information on the planned reconstruction of the Prunerov coal-fired power station, Jiri Nezhyba from the EPS told journalists today.
The EPS has demanded information on the plant´s reconstruction from CEZ for some time, Nezhyba said.
He recalled that the Supreme Administrative Court ruled previously that the state-run CEZ is a public institution and has to provide information under Czech law.
The environmentalists want CEZ to increase the efficiency of Prunerov II, situated in north Bohemia, to 42 percent and not only to the planned 38 percent, they say.
Jan Rovensky, from the Czech branch of Greenpeace, said the 4-percent difference would mean 12 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions during the plan´s operation.
The environmentalists claim that CEZ wants to save money at the expense of the locals´ health.
According to Greenpeace, Prunerov power plant is the 18th biggest producer of CO2 emissions in Europe.
The renewal of Prunerov was also criticised by the Green Party.
CEZ spokesman Ota Schnepp said in December that CEZ would use the best technology possible in Prunerov and achieve an efficiency of over 42 percent.
He said the modernisation would improve the state of the environment in the region.
CEZ plans to completely replace all the plant's three steam boilers and take measures to reduce nitrogen oxides, including the replacement of the boilers' technological equipment.
The Environment Ministry is to decide on Prunerov´s renewal in near future, possibly already this week, the weekly Respekt writes in its latest issue out today.
Respekt points out that CEZ submitted one variant of the reconstruction although former environment minister Martin Bursik demanded that it prepare also another, more efficient alternative. The company only presented expert reports confirming the correctness of the variant it prefers.
"It is not acceptable anymore for CEZ to dictate its conditions to all," Bursik told the weekly.
If Environment Minister Jan Dusik rejects the planned renewal, CEZ will probably wait for the elections due in May and give its request to the next minister, whose selection it may even influence due to its powerful lobbying, for signing, Respekt writes.
Autor: ČTK
