Siemens snubs Greta Thunberg’s appeal, says will honor Adani coal mine contract

Siemens AG said it intends to honor a controversial contract to supply signaling systems to an Australian coal mine, defying the demands of activists that protested at locations in Germany on Friday.

The company will establish a sustainability committee that will have the power to stop or escalate projects, but the company will ultimately continue with the Adani contract, Chief Executive Officer Joe Kaeser said in a statement on Sunday.

“I do realize, most of you would have hoped for more,” Kaeser said in the statement. “While I do have a lot of empathy for environmental matters, I do need to balance different interests of different stakeholders.”

Fridays for Future activists, including Greta Thunberg, had targeted Siemens to renounce the contract for months and not work with Adani Power Ltd. on the planned Carmichael coal mine in Queensland.

“Siemens’ announcement that it will continue working on Adani’s coal mine while bushfires rage in Australia is nothing short of shameful,” environmental lobby group Australian Conservation Foundation said in a statement. “The company has shown its true colours with this decision. It has a climate change policy, but it is hollow and empty.”

Kaeser had met with German activist Luisa Neubauer on Friday, and in private talks offered the 23-year-old a seat on the supervisory board of Siemens Energy, which she turned down. Siemens Energy creates gas turbines and wind turbines, while the Adani contract will be supplied by Siemens Mobility, a different division.

Protesters had also camped out at Siemens locations, including a 24-hour protest in front of the company’s headquarters in Munich.