Coal, considered to be the single largest source of global carbon emissions, is back in demand as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has crippled energy supplies leading to soaring prices.
With an unprecedented rise in global economic uncertainties, several countries, including Germany, the European Union’s (EU) largest economy have decided to resort to coal-based power generation. [bold, links added]
Incidentally, India had come under the scanner last year after the conclusion of COP26 (Conference of the Parties) for altering the wording of the final deal to “phase down” instead of “phase out” coal.
In less than a year, the developed countries are now scrambling to resume coal-based energy generation.
A report by the Observer Research Foundation noted that energy supply disruptions following the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in early 2022 took LNG prices even higher, leaving coal as the only option for dispatchable and affordable power, even in tough markets like Western Europe and North America that have explicit policies to phase-out coal.
“Coal mines and power plants closed 10 years ago have begun to be repaired in Germany. By winter, German power plants will burn at least 100,000 tons of coal per month” – Washington Post
France taking the same route even nationalising an energy entity
Europe moving back to coal pic.twitter.com/ebqIKjDsoL
— Sbahle_ger30 (@SbahleG56330853) August 2, 2022
Germany, one of the worst impacted by the energy crisis, has started to move back to coal by restarting the idle coal plants.
The country had earlier shut down most of its coal-based power plants as spearheaded the transition toward green energy and the climate change cause.
Germany had announced phasing out all coal-based electricity generation by 2038. But it is now reversing its stand as it faces one of the worst crises in decades.
Other European countries such as Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, and Greece have also started restarting coal plants.
China has the largest number of operational coal power plants. India ranks second. Germany, the largest economy in the EU, has 63, according to the data collation portal Statista.
Read more at India Narrative
So Germany is restarting its coal plants. If they truly believed CO2 was the evil gas they say it is then why are they not restarting the nuclear plants they shut down over the last several years?