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It's not going fast enough for them: Extinction Rebellion protests in front of the Czech Ministry of the Environment
Photo: Kate¯ina äulov / dpa
According to a government commission, the Czech Republic should withdraw from coal mining by 2038.
The date is a compromise, said Industry Minister Karel Havlicek when presenting the final report.
Environmentalists had called for an earlier departure from fossil fuels.
Doctors issued a petition warning of the consequences of the ongoing air pollution from the coal-fired power plants.
Last year, the domestic energy sources, brown and hard coal, contributed 49 percent to electricity generation in the Czech Republic.
New nuclear reactors are to replace coal
The coal is to be replaced on the one hand by renewable energy sources and on the other by existing and new nuclear reactors.
"We have a clear timetable for expanding nuclear energy," said Havlicek.
Critics of the government's energy policy point out that the Czech Republic exports large amounts of electricity every year.
The coal commission was set up in July 2019 based on the German model.
It includes representatives from ministries, parliament, industry, business, regions and environmental associations.
The meetings of the commission were accompanied by protest actions in which the climate protection movements Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion took part.
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dab / dpa
