Is it just a bluff to pressure the development of more renewable energy, or does Greenpeace actually intend to own and manage one of Europe's largest coal mining operations?
The assets in question are a coal field and six attendant power plants in eastern Germany, worth upward of €3 billion and now up for auction by Vattenfall, a state-owned Swedish energy company looking to unload its lignite holdings as it pivots more aggressively toward renewables investments.
The "memorandum of understanding" submitted by Greenpeace Sweden enables the environmental campaigner to participate in negotiations with Vattenfall, while sending a signal of strong intention to the German government to step up the pace of its own energy transition.
There's a "discussion" that needs to be had, said Annika Jacobson, head of Greenpeace Sweden, but make no mistake, she added, the move isn't a ploy or some kind of PR stunt.