Phase out of coal-fired power generation in Germany

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The political decision to no longer use coal as a primary energy source for electricity generation, i.e. to no longer use heat from the combustion of coal to drive turbines , the output shafts of which in turn drive electrical generators to generate electricity, is referred to as the exit from coal-fired power generation in Germany . Reasons for such an exit are in particular environmental protection , climate protection and health protection (avoidance of health damage from air pollutants that are released during coal combustion). Coal is currently used in large quantities to generate electrical energy in coal-fired power plants , for heating, in industry . The coal industry also includes the necessary infrastructure for extraction in opencast mines or mines and for transport (e.g. via coal ports, coal railways, conveyor belts, etc.).

The exit from coal-fired power generation in Germany represents an important partial scenario of the so-called " coal exit " in Germany. In June 2018, the Federal Government set up the Commission for Growth, Structural Change and Employment (the Coal Commission), which has a plan and a date for a coal exit should work out. On January 16, 2020, the basis for a coal phase-out law, which is to regulate the end of coal-fired power generation by 2038, was laid as part of a federal-state agreement on the phase-out of coal. The final version of the coal phase-out law was passed by a majority of both the German Bundestag and the Bundesrat on July 3, 2020.

Framework

On January 16, 2020, the basis for a coal phase-out law was laid as part of a federal-state agreement. This was preceded by several draft laws for the reductions in the area of ​​hard coal and months of negotiations with lignite companies, especially RWE and LEAG . The basis of the agreement was formed by the resolutions of the Commission for Growth, Structural Change and Employment on January 26, 2019. Among other things, the decision was made to preserve the Hambach Forest , an orderly decommissioning path until 2038, a decommissioning of around 2.8 gigawatts by the end of 2022 and includes a further shutdown of 5.7 gigawatts of power plant capacity by the end of 2029, as well as the review of the shutdowns planned after 2030 at the revision times 2026 and 2029 in order to end coal-fired power generation as early as 2035 if possible. The draft law entitled "Draft of a law to reduce and end coal-fired power generation and to amend other laws (coal exit law)", which was introduced to the German Bundestag on January 29, 2020 , is finalized as planned and in early summer Adopted in 2020. The law was passed on July 3, 2020 with a majority of the Bundestag and Bundesrat. 314 members of the German Bundestag voted for the law, 237 against. There was also a majority in favor of the law in the Federal Council.

Environmental groups criticized the fact that central resolutions of the coal commission were not implemented and therefore spoke under certain circumstances. a. of a "termination of the coal compromise ". Contrary to the agreement, among other things, there is no review date in 2023, the Datteln 4 power plant may be connected to the grid and half of the lignite capacity would only be switched off between 2035 and 2038. Kai Niebert , President of the German Nature Conservation Ring, criticized the fact that the deviation from the coal commission compromise that occurred when lignite was phased out would lead to additional emissions of around 180 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and stated that he felt that he was “simply cheated” by the government. Economist Barbara Praetorius , who was one of the four chairmen of the coal commission, also said that the plan presented by the government deviated "in important points" from the commission's proposals and terminated the compromise made there. The delay of several months in the resolutions was also criticized. It took the government more than a year to adopt a resolution since the results were announced by the “Commission for Growth, Structural Change and Employment”.

Central elements of the energy transition in Germany are the nuclear phase-out and the increased use of renewable energies. The expansion of renewable energies is funded by the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), which guarantees that electricity from renewable sources is preferably fed into the power grid. The aim of this law was defined:

"To enable a sustainable development of the energy supply, especially in the interests of climate and environmental protection, to reduce the economic costs of energy supply by including long-term external effects, to conserve fossil energy resources and to promote the further development of technologies for generating electricity from renewable energies . "

- Section 1 (Paragraph 1 EEG 2000)

In addition, the internalization of external costs of conventional energy generation was emphasized as an important goal of energy policy. An accompanying statement led u. a. from the fact that the social and ecological follow-up costs of conventional energy generation would not be borne by the operators, but by the general public, taxpayers and future generations, and that the EEG actually only compensates for these competitive disadvantages. In 2010, the Bundestag decided to increase the share of renewable energies in electricity consumption to 80% by 2050, to reduce primary energy consumption by 50% in the same period compared to 2008 and to compare greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 95 in line with EU targets with the year 1990 to reduce. This can only be achieved with a complete phase-out of coal. As of 2015, coal accounted for 40.7 percent of the global electricity mix.

Germany will likely miss the climate protection targets it has set itself for 2020 unless the phase-out from coal-fired power generation is initiated. In 2017 it was assumed that the climate target would be missed by around 100 million tons of carbon dioxide. Coal-fired power plants cause around 80% of Germany-wide emissions in the power plant sector and are therefore a key starting point for achieving the necessary emission reduction in the short term. If the 20 oldest lignite power station units with a total output of 8.4 GW were to be shut down by the end of 2019, around 50 million tons of carbon dioxide per year could be avoided; the emissions gap could thus be roughly halved. According to a study published in November 2017, which was written by employees of the Federal Ministry of Economics and the Federal Network Agency , Germany could immediately switch off 7 GW of coal-fired power plant output, which would correspond to around 12 to 15 medium-sized coal-fired power plant blocks. In 2020, the installed capacity would still be 18 GW above the annual peak load, in 2023 after the shutdown of the last three nuclear power plants it would still be 11 GW above this. This surplus could also be used in the event of power plant failures, increasing power consumption due to electromobility and the like. the security of supply in Germany is guaranteed. Some shutdown of coal-fired power plants could even have a beneficial effect on security of supply. The Federal Ministry of Economics later distanced itself from the study. An analysis published in August 2018 by the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW) based on data from the European network operator association ENTSO-E and the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Union came to the conclusion that the assumed overcapacities in Germany and its Neighboring states have so far been set too high by a factor of 3–4.

With the entry into force of new EU pollutant limit values ​​for power plants from 2021, around one third of all coal-fired power plants across the EU will have to be closed or upgraded with modern filter technology. This applies in particular to lignite power plants such as B. the Jänschwalde power plant .

According to the approved framework operating plan of RWE for the Garzweiler opencast mine in the Rhenish lignite mining area in North Rhine-Westphalia, mining will end in 2045. The former red-green state government ( Cabinet Kraft II , 2012 to 2017) considered the mining of lignite to be necessary by 2030.

Studies on ecological consequences

At the end of 2015, the Agora Energiewende think tank presented a plan for a coal consensus analogous to the nuclear consensus, which should regulate an amicable phase-out of coal by 2040 with the power plant operators. This plan is based on the 2 degree goal. In June 2016, the HTW Berlin showed in a study that the coal phase-out should be completed by 2030 at the latest in order to achieve the Paris climate protection resolutions and limit the global temperature increase to 1.5 ° C.

According to a study published in the trade journal Energy in 2017 , an accelerated phase-out of coal could help to achieve Germany's climate protection targets by 2020, but the phase-out of coal alone is not enough. The fulfillment of the goals has so far been considered unlikely. The population in Germany is largely opposed to coal-fired power generation, although the opposition has increased further in recent years. A large part of the population is in favor of phasing out coal. 17.7% of Germans were in favor of an immediate coal exit, 32.3% for a coal exit by 2020, 28.9% for an exit by 2030 and 7.6 and 4.7% for a coal exit by 2040, respectively 2050. 8.8% of the population reject a coal phase-out.

In October 2017, the German Advisory Council on the Environment published a statement entitled “Initiate coal exit now”, in which it called for a rapid exit from coal in Germany. This coal phase-out should begin immediately and be completed in the 2030s. According to the researchers, in order to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Protection Agreement, the economy should be practically carbon neutral by 2050 and all German coal-fired power plants should release a remaining budget of a maximum of 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide. In order to be able to use this remaining budget in the most sensible way, they deduce that the coal phase-out must be initiated very quickly and that the oldest and most emission-intensive power plants should be shut down by 2020. The remaining more modern coal-fired power plants should be operated between 2020 and 2030 with lower capacity utilization per year, so that on the one hand emissions are reduced, but at the same time the output to be guaranteed remains available. In the 2030s, these power plants should also be shut down and the security of supply should then be secured through renewable energies in combination with storage power plants. In addition, the SRU recommended the formation of a “coal commission”, which should work out a concrete phase-out of coal use. The social and economic consequences for the approx. 20,000–30,000 jobs in the coal industry should also be taken into account. To ensure that the coal phase-out actually leads to lower emissions, accompanying measures such as the introduction of a minimum price for carbon dioxide or the cancellation of certificates in the European emissions trading system are necessary.

Studies on economic consequences

According to a study by Oliver Wyman published in October 2019, the wholesale prices for electricity could rise by the phase-out of coal by 2022 - from an average of around 40 euros per megawatt hour in 2018 to more than 65 euros. Electricity imports from abroad could more than double in the same period. After that, electricity prices could fall again, but for 2038 (the year in which the coal phase-out is to be completed), electricity prices on the exchange are expected to be 25% higher than the current price level. However, it is also pointed out that the generation and sale of electricity only make up around a fifth of the retail price.

A study published in August 2019 by the Energy Economics Institute at the University of Cologne on behalf of the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Economics comes to the conclusion that electricity prices will rise to around 58 euros per megawatt hour by 2030. As a result of the coal phase-out, electricity prices will rise by up to 3.30 euros per megawatt hour more than in a scenario without a coal phase-out. The reasons for this are higher fuel costs and expensive electricity imports.

Political discussion

Demonstration against the coal phase-out: State ministers (Groschek, Dulig, Gerber), trade unionists ( IG BCE , Verdi ) and RWE managers on April 25, 2015 in Berlin
Demonstration “Stop Coal!” In the run-up to the first meeting of the Coal Commission on June 26, 2018

In the 2013 coalition agreement of the grand coalition ( Merkel III cabinet ), coal was described as a bridging technology until the switch to renewable energies. Among other things, this contract contains the following sentence: "The conventional power plants (lignite, hard coal, gas) as part of the national energy mix will be indispensable for the foreseeable future." The sentence was introduced into the coalition agreement by Ulrich Freese . Freese is a trade unionist ( IG BCE ), an SPD member of the Bundestag and a member of Vattenfall's supervisory board ; he has long been a lobbyist for the coal industry , especially the lignite industry.

The then Federal Economics and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) presented the national climate protection contribution for power plants in mid-2015 . This should mean that a further 22 million tons of CO 2 are saved in the electricity sector in order to achieve the climate targets for 2020. However, according to the BMWi, an exit from coal was expressly not the aim of the climate protection contribution. However, other actors from politics, science and civil society emphasized that phasing out coal is an integral part of the energy transition and that it should be shaped. An exit from coal-fired power generation at a later point in time would hit the coal fields all the more abruptly and painfully. The opponents of a coal phase-out made and continue to mobilize in the context of the discussion about the contribution to climate protection: On April 25, 2015, the unions IG BCE and Verdi organized a demonstration in which 15,000 employees from the lignite industry also took part, as well as company representatives and state and local politicians. The union IG BCE also ran a poster and advertising campaign against a coal phase-out in Germany. The national contribution to climate protection was buried under pressure from a strong lobby. Instead, the law on the further development of the electricity market with capacity reserve, network reserve and security readiness was passed.

There have been multiple demonstrations by the anti-coal power movement against coal -based power generation , for example in August 2014 in the form of a human chain with around 7500 participants from Brandenburg to Poland.

In 2016, the Verdi union had the coal exit calculated in a study and made the conclusion of the study (a socially acceptable exit is feasible and affordable) for its new position. Shortly afterwards, the Greens presented their “Roadmap for the coal phase-out”.

In a representative opinion poll in November 2017, 76% of those questioned wanted the future federal government to gradually phase out coal so that the climate targets can still be met. Supporters of all parties spoke out in favor of this coal exit: 99% of the Greens supporters, 81% of the SPD supporters, 75% of the Union supporters, 75% of the left supporters and 70% of the supporters of the FDP and AfD.

In a survey carried out by TNS Emnid in September 2018 , 73% of those questioned are in favor of a coal phase- out by 2030 at the latest. 46% are in favor of a coal phase-out by 2025. The supporters of the CDU and the SPD agreed with more than 80% disproportionately high. 2% of the population supported a coal phase-out after 2040, 12% opposed a coal phase-out. In addition, 75% of those questioned rejected the clearing of the Hambach Forest for lignite extraction and instead advocated stopping the clearing, which was just being prepared at the time and was later stopped .

The Merkel IV government set up a coal commission in June 2018; On January 31, 2019, it presented recommendations for phasing out coal. On May 25, 2020, a public hearing took place in the Economic Committee of the Bundestag. The present draft law apparently contradicts the recommendations of the Coal Commission in essential points.

During the final debate in the Bundestag, Greenpeace hangs a banner on the Reichstag building so that, when read together, the Reichstag inscription and banner inscription result in the phrase "The German people have a future without coal power".

On July 3, 2020, the phase-out of coal-fired power generation by 2038 was decided in the German Bundestag . At the same time a law was passed providing aid of 40 billion euros for the coal countries. Compensation of more than four billion euros is planned for the power plant operators.

Shutdown

Lignite decommissioning path (as of January 29, 2020)
operator Block name District state Commissioning year MW el (net) Security readiness Final shutdown date
RWE Niederaussem D Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1959-1976 297 - December 31, 2020
RWE Niederaussem C Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 295 - December 31, 2021
RWE Neurath B. Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 294 - December 31, 2021
RWE Weisweiler E or F Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 321 - December 31, 2021
RWE Neurath A. Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 294 - April 1, 2022
RWE Frechen / Wachtberg ( briquetting ) Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 120 (of 176) - December 31, 2022
RWE Neurath D. Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 607 - December 31, 2022
RWE Neurath E. Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 604 - December 31, 2022
RWE Weisweiler E or F Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 321 - January 1, 2025
LEAG ( EPH ) Jänschwalde A Lausitz BrandenburgBrandenburg Brandenburg 1981 465 December 31, 2025 December 31, 2028
LEAG (EPH) Jänschwalde B Lausitz BrandenburgBrandenburg Brandenburg 1982 500 December 31, 2027 December 31, 2028
RWE Weisweiler G or H Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1974 or 1975 663 or 656 - April 1, 2028
LEAG (EPH) Jänschwalde C Lausitz BrandenburgBrandenburg Brandenburg 1984 465 - December 31, 2028
LEAG (EPH) Jänschwalde D Lausitz BrandenburgBrandenburg Brandenburg 1985 465 - December 31, 2028
RWE Weisweiler G or H Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1974 or 1975 663 or 656 - April 1, 2029
LEAG (EPH) Boxberg N. Lausitz SaxonySaxony Saxony 1979 465 - December 31, 2029
LEAG (EPH) Boxberg P. Lausitz SaxonySaxony Saxony 1980 465 - December 31, 2029
RWE Niederaussem G or H Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1974 628 or 648 - December 31, 2029
RWE Niederaussem G or H Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1974 628 or 648 December 31, 2029 December 31, 2033
Uniper / EPH Schkopau A Central Germany Saxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt 1996 450 - December 31, 2034
Uniper / EPH Schkopau B. Central Germany Saxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt 1996 450 - December 31, 2034
LEAG (EPH) Lippendorf R Central Germany SaxonySaxony Saxony 2000 875 - December 31, 2035
EnBW Lippendorf S. Central Germany SaxonySaxony Saxony 1999 875 - December 31, 2035
RWE Niederaussem K Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 2002 944 - December 31, 2038
RWE Neurath F (BoA 2) Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 2012 1,060 - December 31, 2038
RWE Neurath G (BoA 3) Rhineland North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 2012 1,060 - December 31, 2038
LEAG (EPH) Black pump A Lausitz BrandenburgBrandenburg Brandenburg SaxonySaxonySaxony  1998 750 - December 31, 2038
LEAG (EPH) Black pump B Lausitz BrandenburgBrandenburg Brandenburg SaxonySaxonySaxony  1998 750 - December 31, 2038
LEAG (EPH) Boxberg Q Lausitz SaxonySaxony Saxony 2000 857 - December 31, 2038
LEAG (EPH) Boxberg R. Lausitz SaxonySaxony Saxony 2012 640 - December 31, 2038


Important information is missing from this article or section. Help Wikipedia by researching and pasting it .

Hard coal decommissioning path (as of May 2020)
operator Block name state Commissioning year MW el (net) Security readiness Final shutdown date
EnBW Altbach / Deizisau 2 Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 1997 336
EnBW Heilbronn 7 Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 1985 778
EnBW Stuttgart-Gaisburg Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 23
EnBW Rostock Mecklenburg-Western PomeraniaMecklenburg-Western Pomerania Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 1994 514 2033 at the latest
EnBW Rheinhafen 7 Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 1985 505
EnBW Rhine harbor 8 Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 2014 842
enercity Hanover 1 Lower SaxonyLower Saxony Lower Saxony 1989 136
enercity Hanover 2 Lower SaxonyLower Saxony Lower Saxony 1989 136
ENGIE Farge BremenBremen Bremen 1969 350 2024
ENGIE Wilhelmshaven Lower SaxonyLower Saxony Lower Saxony 2015 726
ENGIE Zolling 5 BavariaBavaria Bavaria 1986 472
Large power plant in Mannheim Block 6 Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 2005 255
Large power plant in Mannheim Block 7 Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 1982 425
Large power plant in Mannheim Block 8 Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 1993 435
Large power plant in Mannheim Block 9 Baden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg 2015 843
Lausitz energy power plants More about 3 Lower SaxonyLower Saxony Lower Saxony 1979 690
Mainova West 2 HesseHesse Hesse 61.5
Mainova West 3 HesseHesse Hesse 61.5
RWE Generation Gersteinwerk K2 North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1984 614 29th March 2019
RWE Generation Ibbenbueren B North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1985 790
RWE Generation Westphalia E North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 2014 780
Stadtwerke Duisburg HKW I North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia March 2018
Steag Bergkamen A North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1981 715
Steag Fenne HKV SaarlandSaarland Saarland 1989 197
Steag Fenne MKV SaarlandSaarland Saarland 1982 179
Steag Herne 4 North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1989 460 2022 at the latest
Steag Luenen 6 North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1962 149 2018
Steag Luenen 7 North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1970 324 2018
Steag Walsum 9 North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1988 370
Steag Walsum 10 North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 2013 725
swb generation Bremen harbor 6 BremenBremen Bremen 1979 300
swb generation Bremen-Hastedt 15 BremenBremen Bremen 1989 119 Mid-2020s
SWM Services North 2 BavariaBavaria Bavaria 1991 333 2022 at the latest December 31, 2028
Trianel Luenen 1 North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 2013 746
Uniper Dates 4 North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 2020 1052 presumably December 31, 2038
Uniper Heyden North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1987 875 2025 at the latest
Uniper Kiel Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein 1970 323 2019
Uniper Scholven B. North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1968 345 December 31, 2022
Uniper Scholven C. North Rhine-WestphaliaNorth Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia 1969 345 December 31, 2022
Uniper Staudinger 5 HesseHesse Hesse 1992 510 pre-planned: December 31, 2025 at the latest
Uniper Wilhelmshaven Lower SaxonyLower Saxony Lower Saxony 1976 757 2022 at the latest
Vattenfall Moorburg A HamburgHamburg Hamburg 2015 800
Vattenfall Moorburg B HamburgHamburg Hamburg 2015 800
Vattenfall Reuter C BerlinBerlin Berlin 1969 124
Vattenfall Reuter West D. BerlinBerlin Berlin 1987 282 2030 at the latest
Vattenfall Reuter West E. BerlinBerlin Berlin 1988 282 2030 at the latest
Vattenfall Low stack 2 HamburgHamburg Hamburg 1993 189
Vattenfall Frond 1 Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein 1961 134
Vattenfall Frond 2 Schleswig-HolsteinSchleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein 1962 116
Vattenfall Moabit A BerlinBerlin Berlin 89
Vattenfall Moabit GT5 BerlinBerlin Berlin 17th
Vattenfall Moabit GT6 BerlinBerlin Berlin 17th
Vattenfall Moabit GT7 BerlinBerlin Berlin 17th
VSE Ensdorf 1 SaarlandSaarland Saarland 1963 106 2018
VSE Ensdorf 3 SaarlandSaarland Saarland 2011 283 2018
VW power plant North A Lower SaxonyLower Saxony Lower Saxony 61.5
VW power plant North B Lower SaxonyLower Saxony Lower Saxony 61.5
VW power plant West 1 Lower SaxonyLower Saxony Lower Saxony 1985 138.5

Source: European Energy Exchange

practice

In October 2017, the Senate of the State of Berlin decided to phase out electricity generation from coal by 2030. In July 2018, Stadtwerke Cottbus also decided to withdraw from lignite-based power generation and to build a new gas-fired power plant that should be commissioned by 2022 at the latest.

In the summer of 2019 there was an increased switch from coal to natural gas in Germany as a result of increased certificate costs in European emissions trading and at the same time lower gas prices, with coal-fired power plants being pushed out of the market with a certain vehemence. As a result, electricity generation from gas-fired power plants rose by around 50%, while electricity generation from hard coal-fired power plants fell by around 50%. At the same time, the production of lignite power plants decreased by more than a third. In parallel to this economically induced shift in the production sequence of various types of power plants, electricity exports abroad decreased. In addition, the increased production of renewable energies also led to a decline in coal-fired power generation. It is generally assumed that there will be a shift in the merit order in the direction of gas-fired power plants from around EUR 35 certificate costs per tonne of carbon dioxide. At a price level of around 45 to 55 euros / ton, gas power plants could displace both hard coal and lignite power plants from the electricity mix. A dismantling of climate-damaging subsidies could also help make coal-fired power plants quickly uneconomical.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bund-Länder unification: the timetable for the coal phase-out is available. In: Federal Government. Press and Information Office of the Federal Government , January 16, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b c d By 2038 at the latest: Bundestag decides to phase out coal. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung online, July 3, 2020
  3. ↑ Christian Geinitz: Coal exit: Hard past a disgrace. In: faz.net. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , January 16, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Draft of a law to reduce and end coal-fired power generation and to amend other laws (coal exit law). In: Federal Council. Federal Council - Division P 4 - Press and Communication, January 31, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  5. ↑ bill: Cabinet approves coal phase-out by 2038. In: faz.net. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , January 21, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  6. ^ "Compromise canceled": Experts are taking action against the coal timetable. In: n-tv.de . ntv news television, January 17, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Alexandra Endres: Coal exit: "This exit is a clear fraud against the taxpayer". In: Zeit Online . Zeit Online , January 29, 2020, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Malte Kreutzfeldt : Co-Chair of the Coal Commission: "Major conflict is open again". In: taz.de . taz Verlags u. Vertriebs GmbH, January 17, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  9. ↑ But no cabinet decision on January 15: The coal exit law is further delayed. In: rbb24. Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb), January 16, 2020, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Staffan Jacobsson, Volkmar Lauber , The politics and policy of energy system transformation — explaining the German diffusion of renewable energy technology. In: Energy Policy . Volume 34, 2006, pp. 256-276, pp. 267f, doi: 10.1016 / j.enpol.2004.08.029
  11. ^ Hans-Martin Henning , Andreas Palzer: A comprehensive model for the German electricity and heat sector in a future energy system with a dominant contribution from renewable energy technologies — Part I: Methodology. In: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews . Volume 30, 2014, pp. 1003-1018, p. 1004, doi: 10.1016 / j.rser.2013.09.012
  12. ^ Johan Rockström et al .: A roadmap for rapid decarbonization . In: Science . tape 355 , no. 6331 , 2017, p. 1269-1271 , doi : 10.1126 / science.aah3443 .
  13. ↑ World Development Indicators: Electricity production, sources, and access. In: The World Bank. The World Bank Group , accessed May 1, 2020 .
  14. ↑ Brigitte Knopf , Jiang Kejun : Germany and China take the lead . In: Science . tape 358 , no. 6363 , 2017, p. 569 , doi : 10.1126 / science.aar2525 .
  15. ^ Coal phase-out, electricity imports and exports, and security of supply ( memento from February 7, 2018 in the Internet Archive ). Agora Energiewende website. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  16. ↑ Fewer coal piles could make power supply more secure . In: Spiegel Online . November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  17. ↑ No security of supply: Europe cannot save the German electricity supply Report in the daily DIE WELT on August 22, 2018, accessed on August 22, 2018.
  18. ↑ Federal Association of Energy and Water Management: Availability of foreign power plant capacities for supply in Germany, May 2018 ( Memento from 23 August 2018 in the Internet Archive )
  19. ↑ Phase out coal: According to the study, security of supply is not at risk . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . November 11, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  20. ↑ Die Welt, Kraft is writhing in the state parliament because of the coal phase-out , April 9, 2014
  21. ↑ Agora Energiewende: Eleven key points for a coal consensus. Concept for the gradual decarbonisation of the German electricity sector ( Memento from February 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF, 2015)
  22. ↑ Volker Quaschning: Sector coupling through the energy transition. University of Applied Sciences HTW Berlin (PDF, 2016)
  23. ↑ Heidi Ursula Heinrichs et al .: Integrated assessment of a phase-out of coal-fired power plants in Germany . In: Energy . tape 126 , 2017, p. 285-305 , doi : 10.1016 / j.energy.2017.03.017 .
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  25. ^ German coal phase-out could be in vain without CO2 pricing . PIK website. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  26. ↑ Stefan Schultz: Study on the exit from coal: Electricity prices could rise by more than 60 percent by 2022. In: Spiegel Online . Der Spiegel , October 11, 2019, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  27. ↑ Max Gierkink, Dominic Lencz, Fabian Arnold: Effects of ending coal-fired power generation by 2038 on the electricity market, CO2 emissions and selected industries: An analysis of the final report of the WSB commission. (PDF) In: ewi.uni-koeln.de. Energy Economics Institute at the University of Cologne, August 2019, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  28. ↑ more precisely (as of 2013): Vattenfall Europe Generation AG (Cottbus) Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board; Vattenfall Europe Mining (Cottbus) Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board; Vattenfall (Berlin) as a member of the supervisory board and member of the executive committee ( vattenfall.de )
  29. ^ Die Welt, lignite lobby wrote the coalition agreement on December 13, 2013.
  30. ↑ Lausitzer Rundschau , Greenpeace triggers wave of scandal , April 13, 2013.
  31. ↑ Berliner Kurier June 22, 2014: Dubious donation support of the SPD politician Ulrich Freese - The trace of coal
  32. ^ Coal dispute: Thousands demonstrate for and against brown coal. In: Zeit Online . Zeit Online , April 25, 2015, accessed May 1, 2020 .
  33. ↑ Michael Bauchmüller: Coal exit: Trouble at the edge of the open pit. In: sz.de . Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 11, 2015, accessed on May 1, 2020 .
  34. ^ Lignite opponents organize human chains , Die Welt, August 22, 2014.
  35. ↑ Ver.di, Expert Opinion: Socially acceptable design of a coal consensus , September 2016.
  36. ↑ The West, A Price Tag for the Coal Exit , September 16, 2016.
  37. ↑ Rheinische Post, Verdi demands billions for power plants , September 16, 2016.
  38. ↑ TIMETABLE COAL EXIT The green roadmap for switching to a life-friendly power supply. (PDF) Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen parliamentary group, August 2016, accessed on March 4, 2017 .
  39. ^ Even FDP voters want coal exit . In: The time . 15th November 2017.
  40. ^ Zeit.de September 19, 2018: Majority of Germans against clearing the Hambach Forest .
  41. ↑ German citizens against clearing . In: Klimareporter . September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  42. ↑ full text (pdf, 1 MB)
  43. ↑ FAZ.net May 24, 2020: New dispute over the German coal exit
  44. ↑ Coal phase-out by 2038 has been decided , Tagesschau, July 3, 2020.
  45. ^ Draft of a law to reduce and end coal-fired power generation and to amend other laws. (PDF) Federal Government , January 29, 2020, accessed on January 29, 2020 .
  46. ↑ swb coal exit: We are active | swb. Retrieved May 25, 2020 .
  47. ↑ Available capacity. European Energy Exchange , accessed on May 22, 2020 .
  48. ↑ Berlin decides to phase out coal by 2030. iwr.de, October 20, 2017, accessed on October 23, 2017 .
  49. ^ Lausitz: Without coal in Cottbus. zeit.de, July 21, 2018, accessed on July 21, 2018 .
  50. ↑ Solar, wind and gas energy are increasingly displacing coal power from the market . In: Spiegel Online . August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  51. ↑ The high CO₂ price begins to take effect . In: Klimareporter . January 11, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  52. ↑ Christoph Zinsius: Environmentally harmful subsidies. In: Federal Environment Agency. September 13, 2013, accessed November 3, 2019 .
  53. ↑ Matthias Willenbacher: Edible spoons, one's own footprint and the bankruptcy of the coal subsidy. In: Klimareporter. November 3, 2019, accessed on November 3, 2019 (German).