Croatian Green Groups Filed Lawsuit against Environment Ministry over Plomin C TPP Permit

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Zelena Akcija (Friends of the Earth Croatia) and Green Istria, supported by several local citizens, filed a lawsuit, on October 29, 2012, with the Administrative Court in Rijeka, against the Ministry of Environmental Protection in which thez challenge the decision of the Ministry to issue environmental permit to the project to build Plomin C thermoelectric power plant. The two associations demanded that the construction works are suspended until a valid Court decision.

Zelena akcija and Green Istria activists in front of the Adminstrative Court in Rijeka (Photo: Zelena Akcija)

The two associations listed the reasons why they think the building of the power plant should be prevented in a press conference held in front of the Administrative Court in Rijeka.

„The Plomin C TPP is in conflict with the County Spatial Plan of Istria. Also, if it is built, we will have to pay the costs of high CO2 emissions, the power plant will have negative effects on the health of the local population, it will increase our dependence on imported coal and will contribute to the incresingly intensive and evident consequences of climate change“, the two associations said.

Zelena Akcija and Green Istria also presented several arguments why they believe the Ministry should revoke the environmental permit it issued to Plomin C TPP, noting that the whole environmental impact assessment procedure was marred by series of omissions and defects and touched on most important aspects – the impact on human health and well being – only superficially.

„During the assessment procedure, all warnings about economic and financial harm that the project may cause were systematically ignorred and they were not properly analyzed. The consequences of such irresponsible approach wil be suffered by the local population, and the economic damages will have to be covered from the taxes paid by all citizens of Croatia”, the two associations say.

They add that the environmental impact assessment study considered only the option of coal-powered facility, without taking into consideration alternative fuels and technologies, which is in violation of the Law on Environmental Protection and Ordinance on Environmental Impact Assessment.

Zelena Akcija and Green Istria are convinced that the Administrative Court will accept the validity of their arguments and cancel the permit for the environmentally and economically harmful project. (Source: Zelena akcija)