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Activists needle shareholders over E.ON nuclear power

Forward | 05.05.2007 20:49 | Climate Chaos

It's not just in Nottingham that people are getting angry over E.ON's energy generating practices. Indymedia Germany have just reported that anti-nuclear activists have been demonstrating outside and inside the annual meeting of E.ON's stockholders in Essen, Germany. A coalition of environmental groups protested against E.ON’s plans to expand nuclear power production. Countries where E.ON is planning new nukes are Finland, Great Britain, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.

In Russia the infamous trinational Urenco uranium enrichment company, which is partly owned by E.ON, has dumped some 80,000 tonnes of depleted Urenco uranium as waste. The protesters also raised the planned German final repository in Gorleben, a village of 800 people in Northern Germany. While outside the stockholders meeting attention was generated with banners and flyers, inside the meeting activists dominated a whole block of speeches in the afternoon, much to the annoyance of the E.ON heavyweights. As always at such events, thousands of small shareholders attend to hear about the newest dividend increase while enjoying coffee and sausage (very German). Such a visit offers a small insight into the way of thinking in many a German lounge room, and many an executive’s office. Right at the outset E.ON CEO Wulf Bernotat made absolutely clear that E.ON is banking on the expansion of nuclear power in Europe. The standard of the ensuing “official” debate was exemplified by the suggestion of a nuclear fan to hire an attractive woman for a pro-nuclear campaign. He mentioned the actress Veronika Ferres. Things got more exciting when E.ON management was massively attacked from several sides over its nuclear activities and there was a surprisingly big volume of applause in the hall.

Read the full article on Indymedia Germany:  http://de.indymedia.org/2007/05/175257.shtml

Blockade of E.ON coal fired powerstation near Nottingham:  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2007/04/367623.html

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