Portugal becomes fourth EU country to stop using coal plants

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Environmental activists are welcoming the end of electricity generation from coal in Portugal. But they said Monday the possible conversion of the country’s last coal-fired power plant into one that burns wood pellets would be a step in the wrong direction. The last Portuguese coal plant stopped generating over the weekend. It makes Portugal the fourth European Union country to stop burning coal to produce electricity. Portugal has no coal, oil or gas, which are all imported. The country has been investing heavily in green energy in recent decades. Activists say the government shouldn’t convert the plant to burning biomass which they say is unsustainable.