A new report has found that Longannet Power Station is one of the top 30 polluting power plants in the EU.

The report looks at CO2 emissions from coal power plants in the EU and has been compiled by the European Environmental Bureau, the Health and Environment Alliance, CAN Europe, Climate Alliance Germany and WWF.

The top 30 polluting plants in the EU are ranked according to the total carbon dioxide emissions they produced in 2013; the UK and Germany came joint first, with each having nine of the dirtiest coal plants. Scotland's Longannet station was ranked 21st on the list.

The study found that the the low price of coal, compared to gas, has led to an increase in its usage and therefore in CO2 admissions. Many of the coal-fired plants in the EU are thought to be running at full, or near-full capacity as a result, despite the expansion of renewable sources.

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The report added that the rapid phase-out of CO2 emissions from coal has to become "a priority".

Gina Hanrahan, Climate and Energy Policy Officer at WWF Scotland, is quoted by the BBC as saying: "Scotland has rightly set out to largely decarbonise its power sector by 2030 and is making significant strides towards this.

"Scottish renewable electricity generation is already displacing over 10m tonnes of carbon dioxide annually - as much as an entire coal plant - and we need to see this growth continue. Coal is by far the most polluting source of electricity."

A spokesperson for Scottish Power added: "Longannet continues to play an important role in providing electricity for millions of homes in Scotland whilst maintaining system security.

"Substantial investment has been made in recent years to ensure that Longannet operates within strict environmental legislative limits."

(JP/IT)