Germany, which announced on Sunday to compensate for the drop in Russian gas deliveries a probable increased use of coal, maintains its objective of abandoning this polluting energy in 2030, the government said on Monday.
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“The exit from coal in 2030 is not wavering at all (…) we may have to restart coal-fired power plants (…) which will naturally lead to an increase in CO2 emissions, so it is all more important that we basically stick to our schedule“, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy and Climate, during a press conference in Berlin.
A short-term use of coal
The goal of phasing out coal by 2030 is central to Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition deal with his Green and Liberal partners. The government nevertheless resolved to announce on Sunday that it would use coal-fired power stations called “reserve“, currently serving only as a last resort, to guarantee the country’s energy security while Russia is gradually reducing its gas flows delivered to Europe. This use of coal, necessary to cope with “aggravationof the situation on the gas market, will beprovisional“, promised Sunday the Minister of Economy and Climate, the Green Robert Habeck, acknowledging that it was a decision “bitter“. The revival of coal-fired power stations will be “a short-term measure“, over a period “limited“, until 2024, insisted on Monday the spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy and Climate, Stephan Gabriel Haufe.
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The consequence of gas delivery cuts
The Russian giant Gazprom announced several gas delivery cuts last week via the Nord Stream gas pipeline, against the backdrop of a standoff between Western countries and Moscow in the context of the war in Ukraine. This decision has a heavy impact on several European countries, in particular Germany, Italy and France, which no longer receives Russian gas. For Berlin, which continues to import 35% of its gas from Russia, against 55% before the war, the situation isserious“, according to Robert Habeck, even if the supply of the country remains guaranteed for the moment.
Austria, also dependent on Russian gas, also announced on Sunday the next restart of a disused coal-fired power plant, in order to be able to make up for a possible shortage. The European Commission, which has set ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets for the countries of the European Union, has taken note of these measures. “Some of the existing coal capacity could be used longer than originally planneddue to the energy crisis, Commission spokesman Tim McPhie told a press briefing. “We know that the energy mix and the plans of the Member States will adapt slightly because we are in an unexpected situation“, he added.
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Industry reassured
The German government has said that it cannot yet assess for what additional volumes it will use coal-fired power plants. “It will depend on the energy market and supply situationin gas in the coming months, underlined the Ministry of the Economy. He also recalled that Germany acts within the framework of the CO2 emission quotas set in the European Union: the country is therefore required to respect limits, whether the emissions come from gas or coal. Environmental organizations have greeted the initiative with mixed reactions, insisting the government will not deviate from its goal of being coal-free by 2030.
The expert Michaël Hüther, head of the German Institute of Economics (IW), on the other hand judged that the restart of the power stations was justified “in order to counter possible new delivery restrictions by Gazprom, because the industry – chemicals, glass, paper, steel, food in particular – can hardly make complicated adjustments in the short term“. To reduce its dependence on Russian gas, Germany has increased its purchases of liquefied natural gas imported in particular from Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway, and will soon have its own LNG delivery terminals. The country has also launched a plan to accelerate the installation of wind turbines and is trying to encourage individuals and businesses to reduce their energy consumption. Berlin, on the other hand, has ruled out extending the life of its nuclear fleet, while the last two power plants in the country must be disconnected at the end of the year.