Germany to restart coal-fired power plants as Russia reduces gas supply

• 2 years ago (2022-06-21)
• David Flin

Coal 296 Europe 1089 Gas 393

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Germany has decided, in the light of Russia reducing supplies of natural gas, to restart idle coal-fired power plants. Gazprom, the state-controlled Russian energy company, cut natural gas flow through the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany by around 60 per cent, prompting Germany to take action.

Robert Habeck, German Economic Minister, said that emergency laws would allow Germany to boost the generation of electricity from coal for a limited period until March 2024. He said: “This is bitter, but it’s essential in this situation to reduce gas consumption. The situation is serious. We are therefore strengthening precautions and taking additional measures to reduce gas consumption. This means gas consumption must continue to fall, so more gas can be stored, otherwise things will get really tight in winter.”

The Economy Ministry said that the reintroduction of coal-fired power plants could boost production by 10 GW.