About 20 Greenpeace members arrived at the building and presented the letter to caretaker Energy Minister Viset Choopiban. In the letter, they pressured the ministry to stop all new coal-fired power plants.

They also asked the ministry to specify the timeframe when the existing coal-fired power plants would be shut down and urged the government to increase the ratio of recyclable power to 10 per cent of total consumption within 2010.

They also asked the government to conduct a public hearing before formulating a policy to increase the use of coal in power generation.

Thara Buakhamsri, a Greenpeace member, said that carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, has increased global temperatures. He said global warming had affected countries around the world, including Thailand, which has suffered from severe storms, droughts and floods.

"Rather than finding strategies to reduce risks, the government supports coal-fired power plants, even though they contribute to greenhouse gas emissions," he said. "The government is not so active in pushing for recyclable power."

He said the government must not claim that coal is necessary, even though its low cot can reduce electricity costs. "A power plant's operating costs ought to include all costs - environmental and social. If these are taken into account, coal carries the highest price due to the emissions."

Yesterday, Green Peace activists blocked a coal shipment in front of the BLCP Power plant, to show displeasure over the carbon dioxide emissions from coal.

BLCP alone, they said, has spewed out 229.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide during its 20-year lifetime.

Thara also said the government did not need to promote large plants, given that demand was trailing capacity. The government could shift its focus to recyclable power plants, as new technologies help increase the generation of electricity from biomass or wind.

"There are variable choices of fuels. So, before coming out with any policy, the government should conduct a public hearing. If coal is the highlight of the policy, the public should be invited to voice its opinion. If the Energy Ministry does not react to our proposals, our protest at the ministry will continue," Thara said.