Power is burning issue

North West Euro-MP Chris Davies wants to keep some of Britain’s dirtiest power stations working rather than build new coal-fired plants.

The Liberal Democrat says living with high levels of nitrogen oxides from large power stations — such as the one at Fiddlers Ferry near Warrington — may be the cost of combating global warming.

EU environment laws will shut coal-fired power stations in eight years’ time if they are not fitted with expensive pollution control equipment.

That would cut Britain’s electricity supplies by 25% and create the risk of blackouts. Last year, Mr Davies steered legislation through the European Parliament to promote the development of carbon, capture and storage (CCS) technology intended to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants for permanent burial deep underground.

But he says it is too soon to guarantee the technology’s success.

Now he is building cross-party support to change the rules on power station operation, claiming that it is better to extend the life of old plants than to build a new generation of coal power stations.

He said: “The harm caused by air pollution from these plants should not be underestimated.

“But if we replace them with a new generation of coal power stations we may never succeed in achieving a sufficient reduction in our CO2 emissions.

“It’s a hard choice between old dangers and the potential catastrophic effects of climate change.”