RWE risks image disaster by throwing activists out of Hambach Forest
The start of evictions of anti-coal activists in the Hambach Forest 鈥渉as already done enormous damage to the image of [energy company] RWE鈥�, which could turn into a veritable 鈥渄isaster鈥� once the company starts cutting trees in October, J眉rgen Flauger, Kathrin Witsch, Silke Kersting and Klaus Stratmann write in the Handelsblatt. While the remaining forest near the Hambach lignite mine might merely consist of 100 hectares, 鈥渋t has become a symbol for environmentalists against the contested energy source,鈥� the authors say. RWE insists that it has no choice but to start mine expansion soon for technical reasons, and, according to the article, the mine in Hambach is one of the company鈥檚 most profitable operations that it does not want to see closed any time soon. 鈥淏ut the conflict nonetheless comes at a very inconvenient time for RWE,鈥� the authors say, arguing that the company has a great interest in a viable compromise in Germany鈥檚 coal exit commission, which becomes more unlikely with every tree cut down.
Read the article in German .
See 麻豆无码版's Coal exit commission watch and the dossier Utilities and the energy transition for background.