Wulf H. Bernotat

From Global Energy Monitor

Wulf H. Bernotat has been chief executive officer of E.ON since 2003. From 1998 to 2002, he was chairman of the board of management for Stinnes AG, Mülheim, and from 1996 to 1998 he was a member of the board of management of VEBA OEL AG, responsible for supply and marketing, refining and distribution, and petrochemicals. Previously he worked for Shell in Germany, France, Portugal, and the UK.[1]

Citizen action and protest against E.ON

Eastside Climate Action activists blockade E.ON's headquarters in Nottingham on April 1, 2008.

April 1, 2008: Eastside Climate Action blockade of E.ON headquarters in Nottingham

On April 1, 2008, as part of the Fossil Fools International Day of Action, 30 activists with Eastside Climate Action blockaded the front entrance of E.ON's headquarters in Nottingham, England. Two people used U-locks to lock themselves to the front door, while others blockaded the back entrance; other protestors poured green paint on themselves, to simulate E.ON's "greenwashing". The action was in protest of E.ON's plans to build the Kingsnorth coal-fired power plant - the first new coal plant in the UK in 50 years. Police made two arrests, and the building was shut down for the day.[2][3]

E.ON Loses Greenpeace Trial

In September, 2008, E.ON suffered a humiliating defeat in its attempt to have six Greenpeace protesters convicted of criminal damage for painting a slogan on the coal-fired Kingsnorth Power Station in the United Kingdom. The six argued that they had a "lawful excuse" for their action in trying to prevent further damage to the global climate. The defendants called evidence from the world's leading climate scientist, James Hansen, who argued that there should be a moratorium on new coal-fired power stations and a phase out of existing coal-fired power stations in the absence of carbon capture and storage of emissions. E.ON currently has plans for thirteen new coal-fired power stations across Europe. In April, PR Week reported that E.ON UK had hired the PR firm Edelman to "counter opposition from green campaigners." In response to the jury's verdict E.ON UK stated that they were "surprised and disappointed" at the decision. [4]

Power portfolio

Out of its total 11,159 megawatts (MW) of U.S. electric generating capacity in 2005 (1.05% of the U.S. total), E.ON produces 74.8% from coal, 22.8% from natural gas, 1.4% from oil, and 1.0% from hydroelectricity. E.ON owns power plants in Kentucky and North Carolina; 97.8% of E.ON's U.S. power plants are in Kentucky.[5]

Proposed coal plants

Existing coal-fired power plants

E.ON had 29 coal-fired generating stations in the U.S. in 2005, with 8,347 MW of capacity. Here is a list of E.ON US's coal power plants with capacity over 100 MW:[5][6][7]

Plant Name State County Year(s) Built Capacity 2007 CO2 Emissions 2006 SO2 Emissions
Ghent KY Carroll 1974, 1977, 1981, 1984 2226 MW 12,200,000 tons 49,913 tons
Mill Creek KY Jefferson 1972, 1974, 1978, 1982 1717 MW 9,638,000 tons 25,464 tons
Brown KY Mercer 1957, 1963, 1971 739 MW 4,108,000 tons 45,191 tons
Cane Run KY Jefferson 1962, 1966, 1969 645 MW 3,244,000 tons 17,122 tons
Trimble County KY Trimble 1990 566 MW 4,208,000 tons 830 tons
Green KY Webster Y 528 MW 4,104,000 tons 3,399 tons
Coleman KY Hancock 1969, 1970, 1971 521 MW 3,326,000 tons 10,899 tons
Wilson KY Ohio 1984 440 MW 4,097,000 tons 9,306 tons
Henderson KY Henderson 1973, 1974 365 MW 2,415,000 tons 5,893 tons
Roanoke Valley NC Halifax 1994, 1995 240 MW 2,281,000 tons 934 tons
Green River KY Muhlenberg 1954, 1959 189 MW 878,000 tons 18,416 tons

In 2006, E.ON's 11 major U.S. coal-fired power plants emitted 50.5 million tons of CO2 (0.8% of all U.S. CO2 emissions) and 187,000 tons of SO2 (1.2% of all U.S. SO2 emissions).

Resources

References

  1. Dr. Wulf H. Bernotat, E.ON, accessed December 2008.
  2. "Climate Protest in City Centre", Nottingham Evening Post, April 1, 2008.
  3. "Eastside Climate Action Blockade E-ON Workers As Part of Fossil Fools Day", UK Indymedia, April 1, 2008.
  4. "Greenpeace Protestors Cleared Over Coal Protest", Planet Ark, September 11, 2008.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Existing Electric Generating Units in the United States, 2005, Energy Information Administration, accessed April 2008.
  6. Environmental Integrity Project, Dirty Kilowatts: America’s Most Polluting Power Plants, July 2007.
  7. Dig Deeper, Carbon Monitoring for Action database, accessed June 2008.

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