Faced with Russian blackmail on gas and the explosion in prices due to the war in Ukraine, the German government announced on Sunday June 19 that it was going to use coal-fired power stations more, despite their environmental cost. This decision is a reversal for the coalition government, giving pride of place to environmentalists, and which has pledged to phase out coal by 2030.
The urgency for Berlin is to secure its gas supply and ensure its electricity production. The only solution at its disposal is to increase the rate of its coal-fired power stations.
In a press release, the Ecologist Minister of the Economy, Robert Habeck acknowledges that this decision ” is bitter, but essential to reduce gas consumption “.
Despite the pressure exerted by the Kremlin, the minister wants to be reassuring and recalls that “ security of supply is guaranteed “. Although he acknowledges that the situation is serious “.
Berlin’s decision to use more coal comes in response to pressure from the Kremlin on Ukraine’s European allies.
For several days, Gazprom, the Russian gas giant, has reduced by 40% then by 33% its deliveries of gas intended for Europe via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, advancing a technical problem.
A fallacious reason, for Western countries. According to Berlin, it is first and foremost a ” political decision “.
Finally, to encourage the manufacturing sector to reduce its electricity consumption, the German government plans to set up an auction system for the sale of gas to manufacturers.
►Also listen: Robert Habeck, German champion of energy transition