State premier expects lignite plant shutdowns in next few years
dpa
North Rhine-Westphalia’s state premier, Armin Laschet, expects the coal commission to recommend a shutdown of lignite plants in the Rhineland region “already in the next one, two or three years”, German news agency dpa reports. Speaking at a press conference in Düsseldorf, Laschet said the federal government had to provide subsidies for the ensuing structural change in the mining region, which would amount to “a larger sum than the finance minister has previously imagined”. He also insisted that this support should become part of a legally binding law but didn’t want to name “just any number of billions” to quantify his demands.