advertisement

The Latest: Activists disrupt German coal power plant

BONN, Germany (AP) - The Latest on the climate talks in Bonn, Germany (all times local):

2:30 p.m.

Police and company officials say environmental activists have occupied conveyor belts and other equipment at a lignite-fired power station in western Germany, causing some disruption to the plant.

Police said several people in masks occupied the facility Wednesday at Weisweiler, west of Bonn, which is hosting global climate talks. News agency dpa reported that operator RWE said it switched off two of the four power generating units for lack of coal.

Activists want Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to phase out the use of coal, which generates about 40 percent of Germany's electricity. The

In Bonn itself, Greenpeace said 14 of its activists protested on a coal ship on the Rhine river, laying out a banner reading "Merkel's Dirty Secret: Coal" as it passed the conference venue.

___

9:30 a.m.

World leaders arrive at the global climate talks in Germany on Wednesday to give the negotiations a boost going into the final stretch.

Attention will focus in particular on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces growing pressure to announce a firm deadline for ending her country's use of coal.

Environmental campaigners and poor countries say Merkel should use the event on home turf to signal Germany will phase out the heavily polluting fossil fuel by 2030.

But the timing is difficult for Merkel. After speaking at the climate talks in Bonn she flies back to Berlin for negotiations on forming a new government that would include a pro-business party, the Free Democrats, which opposes a coal deadline.

Also speaking Wednesday are U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, and Fiji prime minister and COP president Frank Bainimarama attend a round table meeting during the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP) climate talks in Bonn, Germany, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. World leaders arrive at the global climate talks in Germany on Wednesday to give the negotiations a boost going into the final stretch. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 3, 2014 file photo giant machines dig for brown coal at the open-cast mining Garzweiler in front of a power plant near the city of Grevenbroich in western Germany. World leaders arrive at the global climate talks in Germany on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017 to give the negotiations a boost going into the final stretch.. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File) The Associated Press
FILE - In this March 14, 2014 file photo a layer of smog covers the city of Brussels. World leaders arrive at the global climate talks in Germany on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017 to give the negotiations a boost going into the final stretch. AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, file) The Associated Press
FILE - In this Jan 4, 2017 file photo a traffic warden wearing a protection mask walks on a street near Tiananmen Square in Beijing as the capital of China is blanketed by heavy smog. World leaders arrive at the global climate talks in Germany on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017 to give the negotiations a boost going into the final stretch. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, file) The Associated Press
1,200 candles are placed by environmental activists, in front of a building close to the German federal parliament, a where German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other politicians meet for exploratory talks on a coalition between the German Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU), the Christian Social Union Party (CSU), the German Free Democratic Party, FDP, and the Green Party in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) The Associated Press
The Generali balloon, which measures air quality flies behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2017. The COP 23 Fiji UN Climate Change Conference is taking place in Bonn, Germany. The US is participating in the talks, but experts say the U.S. position and President Donald Trump's comments could weaken efforts to curb global warming.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.