NGOs propose closing 16GW coal by 2022/ Conservatives reject CO2 price
Die Welt / dpa
The environmental NGOs participating in Germany’s coal exit commission have proposed to take around 16 gigawatt (GW) of coal power capacity off grid by 2022, reports newswire dpa in an article carried by Die Welt. Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and umbrella organisation DNR argue in the leaked paper that an additional 7.5 GW of lignite capacity should be transferred into Germany’s backup reserve by 2020, and that 8.6 GW of old hard coal capacity should be retired by 2022. BUND handed the proposal to environment minister Svenja Schulze (SPD).
Read the article in German here.
For background, read the article Commission watch – Managing Germany’s coal phase-out.
Handelsblatt
A legal opinion commissioned by coal power plant operator RWE argues a coal exit by policy decree would be unconstitutional, reports Klaus Stratmann in business daily Handelsblatt. The “renowned” energy law firm Posser Spieth Wolfers & Partners argues that in contrast to what coal exit proponents say, a ruling on the nuclear exit from 2016 cannot be applied to the coal exit. The legal experts say ordering shutdowns could become expensive, because this would likely entail compensation claims from operators. But the legal experts also say that an amicable agreement could clear the way for a coal exit.
A legal opinion by law firm BeckerBüttnerHeld (BBH) had stated last year that a speedy coal exit without compensation payments is possible because most power stations are already written off because they are older than 25 years.
Read the article in German here.
For background, read the article Commission watch – Managing Germany’s coal phase-out.
The parliamentary group of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Conservative alliance (CDU/CSU) has rejected environment minister Svenja Schulze’s proposal to introduce a price on CO2 emissions. “We say No to higher taxes on petrol and heating oil,” said Georg Nüßlein, vice head of the parliamentary group. “We have to reach our climate targets with innovation and technological competition instead of making mobility and living more expensive.” He said in a press release that higher taxes on petrol would hit inhabitants of rural regions who are dependent on the car. “There is no way we would support that.”
Find background in the articles German env minister plans CO₂ price concept to boost climate action and Germany may have to buy way out of EU climate goal - ministry paper.
Bild
Environment minister Svenja Schulze’s proposal to introduce a CO2 price could make petrol and heating oil even more expensive, write Fritz Esser, Kai Weise, Karina Mössbauer and Larissa Krüger in mass-daily Bild. “As if petrol and heating oil didn’t have a HIGH price already (…) but it’s also a fact that missing EU climate targets will also become really expensive in two years’ time at the latest.” From 2020 onwards, Germany might have to pay billions if emissions don’t fall rapidly enough, says the article entitled “SPD minister plans special tax on petrol and heating oil”.
Read the article in German here.
Find background in the articles German env minister plans CO₂ price concept to boost climate action and Germany may have to buy way out of EU climate goal - ministry paper.
The energy supply via district heating networks fell slightly last year in Germany. Operators supplied roughly 161 terawatt hours of heat, a decline of 0.6 percent, according to the statistics office Destatis. “The main energy sources for district heating in 2017 were natural gas (47%), hard and brown coal (28%) and waste (14%).” Private households used 35 percent, industry 31 percent, and utilities 19 percent.
Read the press release in English here.
Administrative Court of Cologne
In a further setback for government efforts to get the diesel crisis under control, the regional administrative court in Western German city Cologne has ordered city authorities in Cologne and in neighbouring Bonn to introduce driving bans for older diesel cars. The two cities in the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) join a list of other cities forced to ban diesels in polluted areas, such as Berlin, Stuttgart, and Munich.
Find press release on the ruling for Cologne in German here and for Bonn here.
For background, read the factsheet Diesel driving bans in Germany – The Q&A.
