In view of the war in Ukraine, the federal government allowed coal-fired power plants to continue operating – but the decision on whether they should run longer than March 2024 is still pending.
The energy company RWE says it would let its lignite units run longer than previously planned if the federal government supports such an extension. “If the government, in consultation with the network agency, is of the opinion that the term of the Neurath D and E blocks should be extended by another year until March 2025 in order to have a safety buffer, we will let the systems run longer,” said one RWE spokeswoman for the “Rheinische Post”.
In order to reduce electricity generation from gas and thus save gas, the federal government allowed coal-fired power plants to be restarted or continued to operate as a result of the war in Ukraine last year.
RWE: “A quick decision would be helpful”
Among other things, RWE is allowed to operate two power plant blocks (Neurath D and E), which were originally scheduled to be shut down by the end of 2022, until the end of March 2024. The federal government wanted to check whether the systems should continue to operate for another year, i.e. until the end of March 2025, or be transferred to a reserve. “A quick decision would be helpful in providing clarity for employees and preparing the necessary technical measures,” said the RWE spokeswoman.
The environmental organization Greenpeace pointed out the poor climate footprint of coal in the “Rheinische Post”: “Leaving the dirtiest systems online would be fatal in terms of climate policy and it would also not be necessary in terms of energy policy,” said Greenpeace energy expert Karsten Smid.
For the Rhenish Revier, politicians and the energy company RWE have agreed on a coal phase-out brought forward by eight years to 2030. However, this has not yet been decided for the East German areas.
Source: Stern
