Loading ...Germany begs Sweden for more coal
After 2011’s Fukushima disaster in Japan, Germany gave itself not much more than 10 years to close down all it nuclear power plants.
The country also has a roadmap to switch to renewable energy for 80% of its electricity needs by 2050. That may sound like a long time, but the clean energy installed base today only provides 23% of the European Nations power demand.
But the nuclear energy phase-out has meant that at the moment Germany is burning more coal now than it did 24 years ago.
And it’s desperate for more reports the FT, even begging the Swedes who are divesting from coal to do the opposite and expand their operations inside Germany:
Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s vice-chancellor, warned Sweden’s new prime minister Stefan Löfven last month that there would be “serious consequences” for electricity supplies and jobs if Sweden’s state-owned utility Vattenfall ditched plans to expand two coal mines in the northeast of Germany.
Just to make matters even more complicated Vattenfall has also filed a lawsuit against Germany seeking €4.7bn in compensation over Berlin’s nuclear decision.