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Climate change activists brought traffic to a standstill in the City of London today after mistakenly targeting a building which contains the offices of a leading renewable energy company.

Members of protest group Reclaim the Power dressed in white boiler suits and swarmed Moorgate during rush hour, unfurling a banner reading: “No Borders, No Nations, No Gas Power stations.”

The group was protesting against energy company Drax over plans to build a new power station in north Yorkshire.

However, although formerly based in Moorgate, Drax has had its London headquarters in nearby Noble Street since last year.

One of the companies still based at 41 Moorgate is Statkraft, a Norwegian hydropower company which describes itself as “Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy”.

An employee at the company, who asked not to be named, said protesters had chained themselves to doors at the front of the building.

He told the Standard: “They’re protesting against Drax, but they don’t live here anymore. I understand [the protester’s aims] but it helps if they check the facts.”

The employee said there were about 200 protesters blocking the road. Videos from the protest showed demonstrators chanting at what they appeared to think was Drax’s headquarters.

They sung: “No more fossil fuels keep it in the ground, merrily merrily merrily merrily we will shut you down.”

Reclaim the Power later told the Standard "we started at a building owned by Drax" and that the protest was "moving to another Drax office".

The Standard was unable to reach the Met for information on whether any arrests had been made.

At the same time, 180 miles away in Lincolnshire, Reclaim the Power activists also blocked SSE’s new Keadby 2 gas power plant.

The group said protesters occupied two cranes, stopping work on the new plant, which is said to be the only one under construction in the UK.

Reclaim the Power said they were protesting Drax’s and SSE’s “role in driving the climate crisis”.

Milo Phillips, speaking at the protest in London, said: "Drax and Keadby are the first in a possible wave of a new generation of dirty mega projects, built to pollute for decades.”

A Drax spokeswoman responded: “Everyone has a right to peaceful protest. Climate change is the biggest challenge the world faces.

“Natural gas has an important role to play in supporting the growth of renewables like wind and solar, enabling the transition to a net zero carbon economy. When the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine, gas power stations can provide the electricity we need.

“Building new, more efficient gas power stations will help the UK to meet its climate objectives while ensuring homes and businesses have the power they need at a price they can afford.”

An SSE spokesman said: “We are aware that a group of protesters have gained access to the construction site of Keadby 2 Power Station. Our priority is to ensure the safety of all those on the site and we are working with the police and relevant authorities to resolve the situation.

“SSE’s business strategy addresses the challenge of climate change at its core, as the leading developer, owner and operator of renewable energy across the UK.

However, we understand that flexible thermal generation will play a critical role in the transition to ‘net zero’ emissions, particularly with the emerging potential for carbon capture and storage technologies.

"When completed, we expect Keadby 2 to be the cleanest and most-efficient gas-fired power station in Europe, displacing less efficient plant from the system, complementing our renewable assets, and safeguarding customers’ power supplies.”