'Dirtiest power plants' in Germany and UK[fr][de] 

The two dirtiest plants on the list are located in Greece, followed by six German plants, two Polish plants, one Czech and one Spanish plant. These first 12 plants have one thing in common: they are fired by lignite , or brown coal, which is more polluting than other types of coal.  

Although the UK has no lignite-fired plants on the list, it still appears to be the biggest "loser" in the report, because it has six more plants listed than it did in 2005, when the first report was published. The UK also fares poorly in terms of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS - EurActiv LinksDossier): all of its plants were short of allowances for CO2 emissions.

The Commission is due to propose a revision of the ETS later in 2007, with new rules to take effect in 2013. WWF argues that a stronger ETS, with lower admissible CO2 limits, will encourage the decommissioning and replacement of dirty coal plants with cleaner facilities. Replacing coal plants or natural gas-fired plants with renewable energy alternatives is particularly encouraged, as this would allow Europe to "lead the world towards a low-carbon economy and the Earth could avoid the dangerous impacts of abrupt climate change".

The use of "clean coal" technologies is not encouraged as a replacement, however. According to the report, if existing plants are replaced with "new coal-fired power stations, the continent will be locked into high levels of CO2 pollution for decades to come".