After a big fire in the termal power plant (TPP) Plomin which occured on May 29th 2017, information emerged that, due to the damage caused by the fire, it is questionable whether TPP Plomin 1 will ever be operational again. Green Action demands that any attempt to restart the work of Plomin 1 is abandoned, that all information on pollution as a result of the fire is disclosed, and that the citizens get reparations for any damages they have suffered.
Plomin 1 has been in operation for 47 years and is long overdue for decommission. A few years ago a kind of a modernization was made, which is why HEP (Croatian Energy Company) was granted a temporary extension permit. However, it is unbelievable that the exact date until when Plomin 1 has a work permit isn’t known to the public because the official document of the Ministry of the Environment on the year of decommission is censored (Decision on the integrated environmental protection terms for TPP Plomin 1, page 38). Sunday’s incident shows that we can no longer wait with the definitive closure of this old TPP.
The only replacement energy strategy for Plomin 1, which HEP and most Croatian governments have had over the past 10 years, was the construction of a new thermal power plant Plomin C which was supposed to run on imported coal. Green Action and partner organizations have said from the outset that coal-fired power plants are the past and argued that Plomin C should not be built due to adverse effects on the environment and public health, climate change and electricity prices for users. Those responsible for Croatia's energy policy stubbornly ignored rational arguments against Plomin C and they didn’t make any effort to invest in renewable energy projects during that time. Because of such negligence, we have lost many years in the transition towards a low-carbon society and clean energy.
Green Action hopes that this incident is an enough warning that it's high time for a serious turning point in Croatia's energy policy, for permanently closing Plomin 1 and urgently moving towards the development of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency.
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