As much of Europe is transitioning away from dirty energy, a new fossil gas facility in Greece is being protested by Greenpeace, Euronews reported.
The Alexandroupolis floating storage and regasification unit — a marine facility permanently anchored about 10 miles southwest of the Alexandroupolis port — is a key point for importing natural gas or "fossil gas," a polluting fuel made from methane, into Greece. From there, it becomes available to a wider European market, one which was previously served primarily by Russia.
There are those who see the Alexandroupolis FSRU as a good thing, and indeed, it is somewhat of an improvement.
"Greece is becoming an important gateway for energy in Southeast Europe for gas and electricity," DESFA CEO Maria Rita Galli told Euronews last year. "In general, Southeastern Europe has remained one of the regions most dependent on Russian gas. So, a new infrastructure that allows more [liquid natural gas] from different countries of the world to come to this market increases the resilience of Europe in general and reduces the dependence on one source of gas."
However, fossil gas is still a dirty fuel that releases heat-trapping pollution into the air when it's used as an energy source. Relying on energy sources such as these is the wrong choice for the world, which is overheating because of such emissions. It's also the wrong choice financially, because over time, dirty energy companies are underperforming compared to clean energy alternatives.
Clean energy is what Greenpeace was pushing for with this recent protest. Demonstrators occupied the stairs of the terminal and anchored nearby, holding signs that read "STOP fossil gas" and "Fossil gas: not approved."
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Yes — everywhere 👏 According to Greenpeace, the demonstration was not disruptive to plant operations. It ended when Greek authorities intervened after three hours.
"The peaceful action of our office activists sent the message that fossil gas, whether in liquid or gaseous form, is the same dirty fuel and should have no place in our lives," Costas Kaloudis, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Greece, said, per Euronews. "It destroys our climate, health, environment, and economy. The government must immediately reconsider its stance on building new gas plants in the country."
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