Germany closes 15 coal-fired power plants

• 26 days ago (2024-04-03)
• David Flin

Coal 274 Europe 1061

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Germany shut down 15 coal-fired power plants at the end of March to ensure that the country would meet its carbon emission reduction targets. Robert Habeck, Germany’s Economy Minister, said that the plants were “neither necessary nor economical.”

Germany aims to phase out all its coal-fired power plants by 2030. Due to the energy uncertainties resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 15 power plants were kept on the grid to combat rising energy prices. With the recovery of energy price stability, Germany decided to shut these plants. Habeck said: “Several coal-fired power plants that were still on the grid as a precautionary measure over the last two years are now superfluous and can be taken off the grid for good. The expansion of renewable energy means that the majority of electricity now comes from clean, climate-friendly sources.”

On 31 March, seven of the 15 coal-fired plants, with a combined capacity of 3.1 GW, were taken off the grid. On 1 April, the German Economy Ministry announced the shutdown of eight additional coal-fired power stations, with a total capacity of 1.3 GW.