Lignite plant closures unlikely despite financial problems - study

Germany’s lignite power stations, which are particularly harmful to the climate, currently do not earn enough money to recuperate investment costs, or to invest in the maintenance and extension of connected mines, says a study conducted by the Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut), commissioned by energy think tank Agora Energiewende* and the European Climate Foundation (ECF). However, the study says it is unlikely that operators will decommission plants and mines in the near future because of complex longer term considerations regarding financing, regulation, and planning.
The option of a coal exit, which will be discussed in a commission to be established by the new government after the autumn elections, would require early and forward-looking planning, says the 180-page survey of the lignite industry, which aims to provide a basis for the commission’s discussions.

Find the study in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheet When will Germany finally ditch coal?