Coal

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Mark Speich – representing NRW in Brussels and Berlin
It’s only 200 kilometers from Düsseldorf to Brussels, and similarly, on a political level, Germany’s largest federal state wants to express its alignment with the EU. At the end of October, the state cabinet of North Rhine-Westphalia, therefore, set out to meet in Brussels. The Austrian Johannes Hahn was invited as a guest. As Commissioner, […] continue reading →
Energy: EU states supposed to share excess profits
Electricity prices are supposed to fall, but member states are still at odds over the means. The Commission is now considering a new proposal for a common line: Countries that skim off high excess profits should co-finance relief in other EU states.The basis is a draft law available to Europe.Table. “In a spirit of solidarity, […] continue reading →
Transition period ends: EU no longer allowed to purchase coal from Russia
EU countries will no longer be allowed to import coal from Russia from this Thursday. At midnight, the transitional period for the coal embargo against Russia, which the EU states decided on as part of the fifth sanctions package in April, will end. To allow the industry to adjust to the import ban, the countries […] continue reading →
Consequences of war could accelerate energy transition
According to a study, the consequences of the war in Ukraine could accelerate the energy transition in Germany. The green transformation could sometimes succeed more successfully than previously expected, although the Federal Government will initially have to rely more on coal in its quest for greater energy independence, an analysis by credit insurer Allianz Trade […] continue reading →
France prepares restart of coal-fired power plant
France is preparing to restart the coal-fired power plant in Saint-Avold near Saarbrücken given the energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine war. The power plant, which was only taken off the grid at the end of March, is to be put back into operation next winter as a precautionary measure in view of the tensions […] continue reading →
EU needs more coal than planned
Despite an accelerated energy transition, the EU will need about 43.6 million tons of coal more than planned this decade because of the gas crisis. This is according to a non-paper on the REPowerEU plan available to Europe.Table. If this additional primary energy demand for the period between 2020 and 2030 were partially met by […] continue reading →
Coal-fired power to ease gas crisis
German Economic Affairs Minister Robert Habeck wants to further prepare Germany for a possible end to Russian gas supplies and expand the number of coal-fired power plants in reserve for this purpose. If a gas shortage occurs or threatens, gas consumption in power generation is to be significantly reduced by means of a “malus“, as […] continue reading →
Fifth sanctions package ends coal imports
On Thursday evening, the EU states decided to impose an embargo on Russian coal and other goods, as announced. A few hours earlier, the Parliament had called for an immediate end to the import of all fuels – including gas. continue reading →
Import ban on Russian coal – for oil too?
In the wake of the Bucha atrocities, the EU Commission is proposing to ban imports of Russian hard coal. An oil embargo is also being considered – but here Germany still has reservations. continue reading →
EU Commission stops payment to Poland due to unpaid fine
For the first time, the EU Commission is withholding certain financial resources for a member country because it is not complying with a ruling by Europe’s highest court. On Tuesday, the EU executive informed Poland that it would withhold payments from regular EU transfers as compensation for the first tranche of a fine imposed by […] continue reading →
Agreement in dispute over Turow open pit mine
In the dispute between Prague and Warsaw over the expansion of the Polish open-cast lignite mine Turow, a surprising agreement has been reached. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and his Polish counterpart Mateusz Morawiecki signed a corresponding agreement in Prague on Thursday. Among other things, it provides for the construction of an earth wall against […] continue reading →
Coal imports to Europe rising rapidly
Due to the rapid increase in gas prices, also in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, the import of coal to Europe is increasing significantly. According to calculations by shipbroker Braemar ACM, imports increased by more than 55 percent in January compared to the same month last year. The main reason is that coal has […] continue reading →
EU Commission removes many industries from aid list
The authority has presented the new guidelines for climate and energy subsidies. For Germany, this means that several sectors can no longer be exempted from the EEG surcharge. Nevertheless, the industry is relieved. continue reading →
Germany’s Coal Phaseout Fable
Negotiations for Germany's ‘traffic light’-coalition government have produced an accelerated coal phaseout by 2030. The pressure to kick coal mounts ever higher. Could Germany represent a phaseout fable when it comes to a post-coal Europe? continue reading →
Energy and climate: many goals, little implementation
The future German government wants to bring forward the phase-out of coal to 2030. In the same year, 80 percent of the electricity demand is to be covered by renewable energies. The traffic light coalition agreement of the contains ambitious climate protection targets, but in many cases fails to provide answers to the question of implementation. continue reading →
Traffic light coalition: coal phase-out in 2030 and end for combustion engine in 2035
The planned traffic light coalition has agreed on key points in the climate chapter. According to information from negotiating circles on Tuesday, the coalition agreement will include a coal phase-out by 2030. The date will be in the coalition agreement, several people involved in the talks told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday. The prerequisite […] continue reading →