Power giant fails to make protesters pay for guards

A power company has failed in a legal bid to make four Greenpeace activists pay the cost of extra security during a 10-day protest.

In an unusual move, Mighty River Power asked Judge Thomas Everitt in the Whangarei District Court to order the four to pay the $19,089 cost of security patrols at the Marsden B power station near Whangarei when they scaled the station walls in February.

The judge declined to make the protesters pay. After pleading guilty to unlawful occupation, they were convicted and fined $200 to $300 each. Charges of trespass were dismissed.

Greenpeace climate campaigner Vanessa Atkinson called Mighty River Power's move "standover tactics".

"Mighty River Power's attempt to get $19,000 off these activists is a slap in the face for the local residents who are fighting against decades of pollution of their environment."

The protesters scaled the 60m-high walls of Marsden B after Mighty River Power revealed plans to refire the station using coal.

Built to run on oil, Marsden B was shut down in the 1970s after rising oil prices made operation uneconomic, but Greenpeace says using fossil fuels such as coal for generating energy is adding to global warming.

Mighty River spokesman Neil Williams said additional security was needed during the protest.

"We are more than happy for people to engage in lawful representation of their views but this was unlawful activity and we incurred additional costs."

The company would probably not pursue further legal action to get the money, he said.

Whangarei District Council received more than 3000 public submissions on Mighty River's plans for Marsden B but a hearing date has not been set.