German city of Hamburg decides to end coal heating by 2030 following citizens’ initiative
Clean Energy Wire
A citizen initiative in Hamburg has succeeded in pushing for the end of coal heating by 2030 in the northern port city. “The use of coal in district heating has to be avoided as quickly and as extensively as possible,” Wiebke Hansen of the initiative “Tschüss Kohle” (Bye bye coal) said. The initiative collected over 22,000 signatures in 2018 in order to bring about a decision on coal in Hamburg’s parliament. However, Hansen said “the true challenges start now”, as the city’s coal exit had to be implemented by establishing alternative sources of heating energy.
Hamburg’s decision to phase-out coal falls in line with similar policies adopted in other German cities. Germany as a whole is set to completely end its reliance on coal-fired power production by 2038 at the latest.
