Greenpeace protests Spain nuclear plant renewal

Greenpeace protests Spain nuclear plant renewal | Energy & Oil | Reuters: "Greenpeace said activists climbed a cooling tower at a Spanish nuclear power station on Tuesday, and the environmental group called on the regulator to reject the plant's bid to renew its operating permit next month.

The Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) said the 1,000 megawatt Cofrentes plant had declared an emergency alert but was working normally after 14 activists broke through the perimeter fence.

'We ask the government, employers and unions to give unwavering support to renewable energy, if only for its enormous job-creation potential, and forget about nuclear power, which is not only dirty and dangerous but generates relatively few jobs,' a Greenpeace statement said.

The Cofrentes plant's permit expires on March 20 and the CSN is due to rule a month before that on whether the plant is safe to operate for another 10 years.

Cofrentes is wholly owned by Iberdrola (IBE.MC: Quote), Spain's biggest power utility.

The decision is binding only if the CSN recommends closing the plant, one of eight that supply 20 percent of Spain's electricity. Otherwise the Industry Ministry makes the final decision"

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