Renegade Activist Single-Handedly Shuts Down Power Plant
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA 
on 12.11.08
Mystery Man Silences 500MW Turbine
On 10PM, Friday 28th of November, in full view of CCTV cameras, a lone man climbed two electrified, razor-wired security fences at one of the UK’s major coal fired power plants, walked up to an unlocked door, and proceeded to shut down a 500MW turbine – apparently cutting off enough electricity from the grid to power a city of about half a million people. He then turned around and walked out, leaving only a home-made banner that read “no new coal”. According to folks over at The Guardian (one of the few sources to report on the story), the power plant operators, the police, and the protest community are all desperate to know who the mystery man was, and how he did what he did. Here’s more from The Guardian on the lone Kingsnorth protester:
Yesterday the hunt was on for the man dubbed "climate man" or the "green Banksy". Climate activists responsible for hijacking coal trains and breaking on to runways said they knew nothing about the incident. Even veterans of some of the most audacious direct actions, such as the scaling of the Kingsnorth chimney, are mystified. The station operator E.On professed astonishment that a lone activist would be daring enough to try to do something so potentially dangerous. Medway police said they had no suspects but were still investigating the incident, which took place on November 28."It was extremely odd indeed, quite creepy. We have never known anything like this at all, but it shows that if people want to do something badly enough they will find a way," said Emily Highmore, a spokeswoman for E.On.
The Kingsnorth powerplant has been hit by protests before, and has even had James Hansen backing up the Stop Kingsnorth protests. But taking it upon yourself to shut down a major power plant is pretty ballsy, some would say morally dubious and dangerous stuff. As with the Berkeley treetop protests, this will undoubtedly raise the debate on just how far we should go in our attempts to stop climate change.
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Sounds like a good idea. We should shut down all of the coal plants.
It should only take us about 10 years to get the power back on without them.
Very clever.
Not only is this insanely illegal but also dangerous, operating machinery for which you have no training. Not to mention cutting the power to 500,000 people! what would have happened should someone have been on a home life support system? Completely irresponsible! This is the kind of evangelical stupidity that makes me hate protesters and makes me ashamed as an environmentalist.
To be fair, it wasn't really dangerous or disruptive.
The power didn't go out, because power systems are designed to be reliable.
OSHA (and the British equivalent) guarantee that work areas are safe. Unless the fool went in with a chainsaw and started blindly hacking at things, he was unlikely to hurt himself - or the equipment.
Altogether, it was a fairly inconsequential stunt, probably costing E.On only about $100k or so gross income. (assuming $50/MWhr * 500MW * 4 hrs).
Foolish: yes.
Consequential: no.
Dangerous: no.
Irresponsible...
All of those facilities that have life support should have viable back up power, that should be able to cut in without a notice of power loss.
If they didn't well what about a natural disaster or 'hand of God' incident.
Straight up, the person shouldn't be using stuff that he doesn't understand (however I would reason with how well he did this he knew what he was doing, inside job?)
I guess that is my thought, and for the logic with getting the power on in ten years. I don't know what you base that on.
Thanks for the argument.
1) We can't be certain he/she does NOT have training with "dangerous, operating machinery". Just because one opposes certain technologies, doesn't mean one can't be versed in their operation.
2) From a security stand point, the coal plant gets a wake up call. Reminds me of the walk-in on a smallpox laboratory in Russia a couple decades ago by an investigative reporter (he touched nothing, just showed that you could).
3) 500k people without power for a few hours? Millions world-wide are without power or clean water for far longer. Suck it up and do without the TV one afternoon, Kingsnorth.
4) He/she is right. Clean coal is a vicious lie that needs to be blocked at its every turn.
I think that shutting down a coal powered plant is an eminently sensible action to take. I think that you could certainly make the moral argument for doing so. Non violent action against coal power that we all know is leading do millions of deaths...i dont see this as much of a debate. Perhaps if shut downs became regular enough it would encourage companies to abandon these plants and follow the renewable energy path.
Does it occur to anyone else this story may be completely false? A story told to raise spirits, create myths, and inspire similar acts.
This is the kind of stupidity that gives the eco movement a bad name. It can be seen by some not so understanding people not as an attempt to save their's and others lives but as an attempt on their lives. And for some thats enough retaliate back in not so friendly measures.
@Alexander: Powerplants "trip" all the time. It is not uncommon that powerplants of 1000 MW go off-line unexpectedly. The electricity production system is prepared to deal with this kind of incidents. The result of the action will probably have been a minor drop in voltage, and some spinning reserve kicking in quickly.
That is pretty ballsy. But even in spite of the mishaps and injuries, and just annoyance that something like this would cause you have to give the guy some cred. We shouldn't have coal fired plants in the first place. Even though it is extreme I personally enjoy that people are getting more active and crazy in their protesting. Wish I had that kind of guts.
It would seem the Kingsnorth power station is in need of a new security chief, if they have one working now that is.
The unlocked door leading to the main generation facility is most frightening - luckly the fellow wasn't killed - or didn't kill others in the complex.
I thought the days of monkey-wrenching were over - too many dead folks, too many in prision.
Good for him. We need more people like this.
Hopefully he'll inspire some.
@Alexander: Aren't you assuming that the person did not have "training to operate the machinery"?
@ Alexander
Alex, home life support systems will have very good back up supply systems, not to mention the power companies responsible for a particular area are notified about the person on life support in their area, and when the power goes out, they rush out back up generator sets to hook up to those life support systems.
While I don't condone such actions by activists, as dangerous and irresponsible as it may be, It's time the public put a firm foot forward and told the corporations what's what and that they start doing what's right for the planet and not what's good for the pocket alone, or shit hits the fan.... Green Bansky is an small example of shit hitting the fan.
Wow, pretty scary someone can do that.
For easier and less dangerous ways to do you part to help read treehugger.com and also check www.relevantminded.com
Fantastic, kudos to you my friend.
I hope that you reading this.
I think this is just the inspiration I need to kickstart my activism.
By the way, this guy is smart, the best way not to get caught is to not tell anyone.
A true hero!
There seems to be an assumption that this person had no training for this machinery. The phrasing of the article suggests that he walked up to a door he knew would be unlocked.
This in and of itself suggests someone who at a minimum knows the plant layout well. It might even be someone who has (maybe even still does) work there.
Direct action gets the goods. Wasn't that so much easier and more effective than donating your money to Greenpeace and signing petitions? At what point does the environment become a real priority to us? It is the support system of all life on this planet. Getting new lightbulbs and driving a hybrid isn't going to save the earth. People who don't support these kind of actions make me ashamed to be an environmentalist.
Anyone on a life support system would have a back up generator, no one risks there lives gambling that the power will never go out.
"what would have happened should someone have been on a home life support system"
-I- am on a life support system; it's called Planet Earth. I'd call this guy a hero for shutting down a coal-powered plant... apparently he was attempting to save the other 6 billion people who are also on my same life support system.
Anybody who read this and thought "yeah, way to go" should go straight to their electrical panel and flip the main breaker. This type think makes people actually concerned with the environment look like dangerous nuts.
Hayduke Lives!
Anybody who read this and thought "yeah, way to go" should go straight to their electrical panel and flip the main breaker. This type think makes people actually concerned with the environment look like dangerous nuts.
+100!!
You are wrong, Jeff, to assume that anyone who reads this blog has coal-powered electricity.