Complaint made against ESB over purchases of coal from Colombian mine While the ESB has not imported coal from the Cerrejón mine since 2018, it has burnt the coal at its Moneypoint power plant since 2001
Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 04:30
A truck transporting coal at Cerrejón mine near Barrancas, Guajira province, Colombia. Photograph: Reuters
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The ESB has landed itself in hot water for importing coal from a Colombian mine which is at the centre of suspected human rights and environmental violations.
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An international investigation is being launched into the ESB over the company’s links to a coal mine in Colombia.
A complaint to the OECD has claimed Cerrejón, a Colombian mine where the ESB has sourced coal in the past, has caused health problems for locals. It claimed the ESB has breached its human rights responsibilities by purchasing coal from the site.
The complaint said persistent pollution from the mine over decades has caused problems with the air in the La Guajira area in northern Colombia where it is located, often leading to severe respiratory issues in the local population.
An investigation is to be launched by the OECD into the ESB's use of coal from a controversial Colombian mine following a complaint by human rights and environmental non-governmental organisations.
ESB referred to OECD over importing coal from north Colombian mine
A charity has submitted a formal complaint about the ESB allegedly breaching its human rights commitments. By Gráinne Ní Aodha Tuesday 19 Jan 2021, 12:38 PM Jan 19th 2021, 12:38 PM 16,965 Views 33 Comments
Two young boys looking at the El Cerrejón coal transportation train in La Guajira, Colombia
Image: Shutterstock/Anamaria Mejia
Image: Shutterstock/Anamaria Mejia
A CHARITY HAS referred the ESB to the OECD over alleged breaches of human rights by importing coal from a mine in northern Colombia.
Christian Aid said that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will begin the process of investigating whether the State-owned ESB has breached its human-rights responsibilities by importing coal from the Cerrejón mine in La Guajira.
An investigation is to be launched by the OECD into the ESB's use of coal from a controversial Colombian mine following a complaint by human rights and environmental non-governmental organisations.