Most Germans think coal exit will lead to higher electricity prices – survey
Clean Energy Wire
Eighty-five percent of Germans believe the country’s coal exit will lead to significantly higher electricity prices, according to a survey of 500 households conducted by the Bonn-based market research company EuPD Research. Just half of respondents said they believe the coal exit will achieve Germany’s climate targets, while 74 percent said they partly or fully agree with the statement “I am disappointed with the decisions made in the coal exit plan”. Seventy-five percent said they expect the coal exit to lead to an increase in energy imports from outside Germany.
A recent study by energy think tank Agora Energiewende* found that the coal phase-out would have "very little" impact on electricity prices. The study suggested that household customers would pay 0.4 euro cents more per kilowatt-hour in 2030, while energy-intensive industries might see their power costs decline.
The German government in January officially adopted a legal framework to phase out coal power by 2038. The legislation still has to be adopted by parliament.
*Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.
