Legal challenge against lignite power plant Amyndeo

The Green Tank and ClientEarth, an organization of environment lawyers, filed today an appeal against the continuation of the operation of the Amyndeo lignite power plant.

The two organizations had previously (April 2019) requested from the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy to shut down the plant in compliance with EU environmental legislation, but the answer they  received in June 2019 insisted on the extension of the lifetime of the plant.

This lignite plant exhausted its 17,500 hours of operation, that is the maximum additional hours of operation allowed based on the exception of Article 33 of the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (2010/75/EU), which were granted in 2013 based on a request by PPC. It should, therefore, be closed.

As the European Commission has repeatedly explained to the Greek Government, the plant does not meet the eligibility requirements of paragraph 4 of the same article, which allows the extension of its operating hours to 32,000 hours, i.e. an additional 14,500 hours, during the period 2016-2023.

Despite the clear rejection by the European Commission of the Greek demand to prolong the operation of the Amyndeo plant, in November 2018, the then Greek government proceeded to a unilateral amendment to the Joint Ministerial Decision transposing the Industrial Emissions Directive into the national legislation. The amendment is photographic for the specific power plant allowing its operation for 32.000 hours instead of 17,500.

Therefore, the closure of Amyndeo is a matter of respecting the European environmental legislation, which cannot be interpreted á la carte.

At the same time, it is also a matter of protecting public health and the environment. The Amyndeo power plant, with a total gross nominal capacity of 600 MW, is one of the most polluting in the EU, with respect to sulfur dioxide (SO2), emitting an average of 736% above the new European emission limits of the new LCP BREF, as the following table shows.

Table

SO2 emissions from units Amyndeo Ι-ΙΙ (average for the concentrations) and comparison with the Emission Limit Values of the IED (2010/75/ΕΕ) and the new LCP BREF.

Year


Emitted quantity (ktn)


Emitted concentration (mg/Nm3)


Limit of 2010/75/ΕU (mg/Nm3)


% excess of  2010/75/ΕU ELV


Limit of  LCP BREF (mg/Nm3)


% excess of LCP BREF ELV


2012


20,0


1.144,0


200


472,00%


130


780,00%


2013


8,6


575,0


200


187,50%


130


342,31%


2014


17,4


1.255,0


200


527,50%


130


865,38%


2015


15,3


1.325,5


200


562,75%


130


919,62%


2016


9,9


1.133,5


200


466,75%


130


771,92%


Average


14,2


1.086,6


200


443,30%


130


735,85%