Coal power generation drops 47 percent in Germany in third quarter of 2023

Germany generated 47.3 percent less electricity from coal-fired power plants in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) announced. The share of electricity from coal-fired power plants was 23.9 percent, less than that of wind power. Coal-fired power in the third quarter of 2022 still accounted for 36.2 percent of domestic electricity generation and was also the most significant energy source in electricity generation for the entire past year, Destatis stressed. Following the shutdown of Germany’s last three nuclear power plants in April, there was no nuclear plant-generated electricity in Germany in the third quarter. By contrast, nuclear power plants generated 8.7 billion kilowatt hours of electricity in the same period last year, contributing 7.4 percent to domestic electricity feed-in. The feed-in of electricity generated from natural gas, meanwhile, rose from 9.3 percent last year to 12.7 percent in the months from July to September 2023.

By contrast, generation from renewable energy sources rose significantly in the period: Wind power increased from 16.8 percent in third quarter of 2022 to 24.4 percent this year, making it the most important energy source in domestic electricity generation in the third quarter of 2023, as was already the case in the first half of the year. The feed-in of electricity from solar photovoltaics increased by 6.6 percent, accounting for 21.5 percent of domestic electricity feed-in. From January to September, renewables covered more than half of Germany’s electricity consumption, according to a separate report. Germany generated a total of 94.2 billion kilowatt hours in the third quarter, 20.3 percent less than in the same period last year. Destatis said the drop was likely due to lower electricity demand as a result of the economic slowdown in energy-intensive industries and the increased import of electricity from abroad.