The end of Russian gas deliveries after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine caused a radical upheaval in the German energy model, while the country was in the past very dependent on this energy source. It was urgent to find gas elsewhere, such as in Norway, or to import it from distant destinations in liquefied form at much higher prices. The Minister of the Economy and Climate also had to demonstrate painful pragmatism for an environmentalist, by relaunching certain coal-fired power stations. They must stop this weekend.
2 mins
With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibaut
Liquefied gas cursed by the Greens, a three-month reprieve last year for the last three nuclear power plants and additional recourse to coal: the brutal weaning ofGermanywhich has long been fueled by Russian gas, has not been easy for German environmentalists.
A year ago, they were able to celebrate a historic victory with the definitive end of the nuclear. A year later, the seven coal-fired power plants used to save gas are closing down. They produced 3 gigawatts per year. Five had been reactivated; the closure of two others postponed. Retired employees had been recalled; others had postponed their departure.
At the end of the month, these sites will no longer be allowed to sell their electricity on the wholesale market. The Federal Network Agency said the closures would have no impact on security of supply in Germany. The government must, by the end of June, provide an assessment of the CO2 emissions caused by the use of these power plants and propose measures to compensate them.
The production of renewable energy has made significant progress with 56% of the electricity produced last year. The share of coal increased from a third to a quarter between 2022 and 2023. A success which can also be explained by lower emissions from heavy industries in difficulty.
Read alsoNuclear: a controversial asset of the energy transition