'Terrorists' threaten property of power station boss

CANBERRA - The threat by environmental extremists against the head of an International Power coal-fired power station in Victoria must be taken seriously, the state's Energy Minister says.

Police would investigate the letter delivered to the home of Hazelwood power station chief executive Graeme York by the Earth Liberation Front, Peter Batchelor said in Melbourne yesterday.

The ELF are classified as terrorists by the American FBI.

"These threats have to be taken as real," Batchelor said.

"The FBI regard the mob that made them as the most severe domestic terrorists in the United States. They now clearly have international connections."

The Hazelwood power station is the "dirtiest" in Australia, the ELF said in a letter to York that was posted on its website. York's property "will not remain safe so long as Hazelwood continues to pollute at such an inexcusable level", said the letter, dated June 3.

The ELF delivered the communique to York's home.

The ELF claims responsibility on its website for attacks resulting in more than US$150 million in damages "to the agencies and corporations responsible for the ongoing destruction of our planet".

International Power confirmed that a threatening letter had been delivered to York and that the matter had been referred to the Victoria police.

"International Power has no further comment to make," the company said.

"Victorian power supplies are threatened by these types of actions," Batchelor said.

"There has been a steady and systematic scaling up of action, environmental action, against our power supplies."

Hazelwood power station, about 150km east of Melbourne, supplies as much as 25 per cent of Victoria's electricity, according to International Power's website.

The 1675-megawatt station is powered by brown coal from the Hazelwood mine.

Hazelwood was the most-polluting power plant operating in the developed world, according to a report by WWF Australia in July, 2005.

WWF said: "Hazelwood produces more carbon dioxide per unit of electricity delivered than the dirtiest coal-fired power stations in other leading industrialised nations."

- BLOOMBERG

ATTACKS CLAIMED BY ELF
* April 25, 2009: Norway - Norwegian whaling ship sunk.

* November 25-28, 2008: Mexico - Petrol bombs thrown at Metro Rail buildings in Mexico City, telephone control box torched, bank sabotaged.

* July 25, 2008: Sweden - Villa burned in response to urban sprawl.

* July 14, 2006: Toronto, Ontario - 12 construction vehicles at high-rise apartment development site sabotaged. Damage put at $2.5 million.

* February 25, 2004: Auckland, New Zealand - Paint stripper poured over a sports car and SUV belonging to directors of biotechnology company Genesis Research & Development.

* December 25, 1999: Monmouth, Oregon - Fire destroys the Boise Cascade Corporation's northwest US HQ. Damage put at $1.2 million.

* October 19, 1998: Vail, Colorado - Vail Ski Resort set on fire in protest against its planned expansion. Damage put at $32.7 million.

- AAP