Editing Vattenfall (section)

==Criticism==
[[File:Baggerbesetzung Welzow Süd.jpg|thumb|3,500–4,000 [[environmental activist]]s [[Fossil fuel phase-out|blocking a coal mine]] and the [[Schwarze Pumpe power station]] to [[Climate change mitigation|limit climate change]] ([[Ende Gelände 2016]])]]

Vattenfall's past expansion strategy has involved the acquisition of multiple [[Lignite|brown coal (lignite)]]-fired power plants, which has been highly controversial in Sweden and Germany due to the fact that brown coal is among the most [[emission intensity|carbon-intensive]] forms of electricity generation. In addition, brown coal is strip mined in a process that sometimes forces communities to relocate as mining fields expand.<ref>{{in lang|sv}} [http://www.etc.se/artikel/9575/vattenfall-aer-sveriges-stoersta-miljoebov http://www.etc.se/artikel/9575/vattenfall-aer-sveriges-stoersta-miljoebov] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511033506/http://www.etc.se/artikel/9575/vattenfall-aer-sveriges-stoersta-miljoebov |date=2008-05-11 }}</ref> Vattenfall sold its brown coal assets in September 2016 to Czech investor EPH .<ref name="Guardian" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vattenfall-germany-lignite-idUSKCN0XF1DV|title=Vattenfall sells German lignite assets to Czech EPH|date=2016-04-18|publisher=Reuters|access-date=2019-11-26|language=en}}</ref>

In May 2009, campaign group [[Corporate Europe Observatory]] (CEO) launched the [[Climate Greenwash Awards]], declaring Vattenfall the inaugural winner for portraying itself as a climate champion while lobbying to continue business as usual.<ref name="corporate-europe-observatory-2009">{{cite web|url=http://corporateeurope.org/pressreleases/2009/climate-greenwash-winner-revealed|title=Climate Greenwash Winner Revealed|date=24 May 2009|publisher=Corporate Europe Observatory|location=Brussels, Belgium|access-date=2016-08-03}}</ref> Vattenfall owns (or has owned) four of the "[[Dirty thirty (WWF)|dirty thirty]]" most polluting power stations in Europe, a list compiled by WWF and other organizations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://europeanclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Dirty-30-report-finale2.pdf|title=Europe's Dirty 30|date=July 2014|website=European Climate}}</ref>

A fire in the transformer of the nuclear power plant [[Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant|Krümmel]] (partly owned with [[E.ON]]) in 2007 forced a closure of the power plant for over two years, while a short circuit in July 2009 in another transformer led to another closure. Due to these incidents the [[Minister-President#Germany|Prime Minister]] of [[Schleswig-Holstein]], [[Germany]], [[Peter Harry Carstensen]] announced that this will be ''letzter Versuch'' (their last try) before complete closure of the facility.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/kruemmel144.html |title=Vattenfall closure |access-date=July 9, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711105006/http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/kruemmel144.html |archive-date=July 11, 2009 }}</ref>

Vattenfall has been accused of skirting the line of illegality in its effort to maintain ownership of electrical power grids. Most recently, Vattenfall's efforts to maintain ownership of Hamburg's power grid by lobbying the ruling SPD have drawn criticism.<ref>{{cite web|last=Seifert|first=Dirk|title=Legal – Illegal: Vattenfall – Gezielter Rechtsverstoß? Die Hamburger SPD schweigt |trans-title=Legal – Illegal: Vattenfall – Targeted infringement? The Hamburg SPD is silent |url=http://umweltfairaendern.de/2013/08/legal-illegal-vattenfall-gezielter-rechtsverstoss-die-hamburger-spd-schweigt/|work=umweltFAIR |date=17 August 2013|access-date=6 September 2013}}</ref>

In Germany, the ''Berlin Energy Table'' (Berliner Energietisch) alliance united a number of NGOs and local groups initiating a [[Referendum on the recommunalization of energy supply in Berlin]]. The referendum took place on November 3, 2013, yet slightly missed the quorum.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/berlin-referendum-on-buying-electricity-grid-from-vattenfall-fails-a-931609.html|title=Energy Referendum: Public Buy-Back of Berlin Grid Fails|date=2013-11-04|work=Spiegel Online|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> However, the [[Senate of Berlin]] promised to match the citizens' initiative's key claim, regardless of the referendum's outcome: to transfer all end-user operations, which were owned by Vattenfall at the time, to a [[public utility]] company. The company was founded in 2014 as "Berliner Stadtwerke."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.zfk.de/unternehmen/nachrichten/artikel/berliner-stadtwerke-sind-im-handelsregister-2014-08-05/|title="Berliner Stadtwerke" sind im Handelsregister |trans-title="Berliner Stadtwerke" are in the commercial register |date= |website=www.zfk.de|language=de|access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref>

Vattenfall has also faced criticism from The [[Scottish Wildcat Association]] for looking to expand their wind farm in [[Clashindarroch Forest]] near [[Huntly]] in [[Scotland]], which houses a large number of the critically endangered [[Scottish Wildcat]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watson |first1=J. |title=Wildcats 'not threatened' by wind farm expansion |date=2018 |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/wildcats-not-threatened-by-wind-farm-expansion-wddfzljwh |access-date=28 October 2021 |work=[[The Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Wylie |first1=K. |title=Fears 'wildcat wonderland' would be doomed under plans to expand wind farm near Huntly |url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen-aberdeenshire/2832838/fears-wildcat-wonderland-would-be-doomed-under-plans-to-expand-wind-farm-near-huntly/ |access-date=28 October 2021 |publisher=The Press and Journal |date=2021}}</ref>