Greenpeace activists on Thursday protested at a power station north of Rome against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's intention to veto an EU climate plan, the environmental group said. A dozen activists climbed on a crane at the Civitavecchia power station and fixed two enormous banners that read "the government is against Kyoto," and "coal, no more," it said.

Others scrawled "quit coal" across a nearby jetty. "Today's action aims to denounce the Italian government's hostility to the European Union's 'climate and energy package'," the group added in a statement.

At an EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday, Berlusconi threatened to torpedo the bloc's climate change plans, saying they were too big a burden for business amid the global financial crisis. "I have announced my intention to exercise my veto," the Italian leader told a press conference on the sidelines of the summit.

The EU has aimed to reach a deal by the end of December on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. They have already pledged to have renewable energies make up 20 percent of all energy sources. But many EU nations have begun to baulk at the costs involved and the consequences for industry of the climate change goals.

According to Greenpeace, the Civitavecchia power station -- which is still under construction and will run on coal -- will produce more than 10 million tonnes of CO2. The group said this is "the equivalent of two million SUVs each travelling 25,000 kilometres (15,500 miles) per year."

(AFP, 16/10/2008)