New federal emissions limits in 2018 will decide coal exit speed in city of Berlin

The state parliament of Berlin will decide on an act today that would enshrine into law the year 2030 as the city’s coal exit date - but new emissions limits in 2018 could lead to an earlier phase-out, writes Claudius Prösser in tageszeitung (taz). By the middle of next year, the federal parliament has to adapt power plant emission regulations to an EU decision that prescribes particle matters, sulphur and nitrogen oxide emission limit corridors. All of Berlin’s hard coal power plants – the city has no more lignite power plants – exceeded the strictest possible limits within the EU corridors, so the plants would have to be modernised or shut down. The German Bundestag’s decision next year will be influenced by the current coalition talks to form a new federal government, writes Prösser.

Find the article in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheets Coalition watch – The making of a new German government and When will Germany finally ditch coal?