New government coalition should agree on coal end date - opinion

Germany’s coal exit will be a major energy and climate policy topic in the coalition talks and the next government should work towards a coal consensus – similar to the one found on the exit from nuclear power, Jürgen Flauger writes in an opinion piece in the Handelsblatt. “It certainly makes sense to define a solid end date for lignite mining and power production. But it has to be reasonable,” Flauger writes. For climate protection, a coal exit must begin “sooner than economically desirable” for operators. Yet, to ensure supply security, it “must not be as hasty as wanted by environmental lobbyists” he says, adding that the topic of coal should not make “old turf battles resurface” in a possible coalition of CDU/CSU, FDP and Greens.

Read the opinion piece (behind paywall) in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheets When will Germany finally ditch coal? and Vote2017: German parties' energy & climate policy positions.