Greenpeace sails into town targeting coal use

Image via Wikipedia

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- The Port City sees many ships come and go, but one that arrived today hopes to leave a lasting impression.

Greenpeace activists and supporters want a coal-free future. That's why the Arctic Sunrise is here in Wilmington, starting its east coast ship tour urging companies like the L.V. Sutton Plant to quit coal now

While the Arctic Sunrise is in town, Greenpeace plans a peaceful protest including a candlelight vigil against the Sutton power plant. Although Progress Energy already plans to convert the plant from coal to natural gas in 2014, Greenpeace coal campaigner Kelly Mitchell said that's not enough.

"It's promising to see Sutton quit coal, absolutely," Mitchell said. "I think it's a sign that utility companies are realizing there are smarter ways to power our future than coal, but we want to make sure that power is replaced with truly clean energy like wind and solar and through efficiency."

Progress Energy argues the conversion is good for the environment.

"We actually think our Sutton plant is a great example of our firm commitment to improving the environment by modernizing our generation fleet, and switching from coal to natural gas will actually result in a 40 to 50 percent drop in CO2 emissions," Progress Energy spokesman Drew Elliott said.