By Gavin Evans
Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Four climate change protesters were arrested after attempting to stop coal deliveries to Macquarie Generation's Bayswater power station, one of Australia's two largest generators.
Police were called to the power plant, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Sydney, about 8 a.m. local time today after protesters attached themselves to parts of the facility, senior constable Sara Burgess said today by telephone from Sydney.
Australia, reliant on coal for about 80 percent of its power generation, plans to start limiting industrial emissions in 2010. More than 30 demonstrators occupied coal conveyers and stockpiles at the 2,640 megawatt power station today to protest the lack of action against coal-fired generation, environmental group Rising Tide Newcastle said an e-mailed statement earlier.
``Power production wasn't affected,'' Macquarie Generation spokesman Rob Cooper said in a telephone interview. ``There was sufficient coal in the bunkers'' to keep the plant running, he said.
A decision on whether to press charges will be made later today, Burgess said.
Bayswater, near Muswellbrook in New South Wales, uses about 8 million tons of coal a year, according to the Web site of state government-owned Macquarie Generation. It and the nearby 2,000 megawatt Liddell power station produce about 40 percent of the state's power.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent from 2000 levels by 2050 and is expected to detail nearer-term targets and penalties by the end of the year.
He has offered government support for coal-fired generators to keep them operating while cleaner technologies are developed. They account about a third of all the nation's emissions.
To contact the reporter on this story: Gavin Evans in Wellington at gavinevans@bloomberg.net.
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