No new coal-fired power plants have been built in Germany for many years. Elsewhere in Europe, too, interest in dirty energy sources is waning. And according to a new study, the situation is similar in Southeast Asia.
According to a study, the number of coal-fired power plants shrank for the first time this year worldwide. In the first half of the year, plants with an output of 18.3 gigawatts went online, but Meiler with over 21 gigawatts was shut down, according to a study by the climate protection organizations "Global Coal Plant Trackers" and "Global Energy Monitor".
The decline is primarily due to Europe: 8.3 gigawatts were decommissioned, and another 6 gigawatts are to follow in the second half of the year. But the planning and construction of coal-fired power plants in Southeast Asia are also falling significantly – by around 70 percent compared to the average values since 2015. Coal-fired power plants are responsible for around 40 percent of global CO2 emissions.
According to the information, the worldwide decline occurred despite the new buildings in China: capacities were expanded here in the first half of this year, contrary to the global trend. This year, expansion has accounted for 90 percent of the planned capacity, 86 percent of the start of construction and 62 percent of the start-ups. With the exception of China, the global coal-fired power plant fleet has been shrinking since 2018.
No new coal-fired power plants have been built in Germany for many years. The Meiler Datteln 4 was started in 2007 and only started up this year due to planning and construction defects. According to the Federal Government's exit decision, the last coal-fired power plant in Germany should be off the grid by 2038 at the latest.
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