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“Poland demands free carbon allowances for ghost coal plants,” headlines Euractiv.com. The Brussels based news website has revealed that of the €7 billion of free carbon allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), Warsaw has been claiming €33 million for a coal plant which does not exist.
A Polish government official told EurActiv that the plant in Łęczna coal plant, near the Ukrainian border, falls into a category of sites for which “construction is in progress”. However —
... a 20 kilometre drive around the backwaters of Łęczna’s Stara Wieś-Stasin site on 5 July revealed a rural landscape of green fields, crop allotments, and country paths.
No buildings, installations or other power plant-related activity were evident at the coordinates for the installation submitted by the GDF Suez group to the regional authorities in June 2011.
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