The project of getting out of the coal mill has been languishing for months. North Rhine-Westphalia's prime minister Armin Laschet has called on the federal government to accelerate. "I urge that the federal cabinet in December declaring the coal exit binding," said the CDU politician of the "Rheinische Post".
Only after completion of the exit law could the structural funds flow, Laschet said. Among the federal states affected by the coalition exit, North Rhine-Westphalia is also to receive a generous share of the 40 billion euros planned for the compensation. But Laschet also said that people and the economy need clarity.
At the same time defended Laschet but the planned commissioning of the hard coal power plant Datteln 4 in his state. This would reduce CO2 emissions, because then old and less efficient power plants could be shut down, said the Prime Minister. However, the fuel for this power plant in the Ruhr area must be imported, because of the hard coal mining Germany has already adopted the end of 2018.
"I will not urge the federal government to compensate the operators with 1.5 billion euros, so that one of the most modern coal-fired power plants in the world is not connected to the grid, and old and much polluting brown coal plants then run longer," said Laschet, son of a Steiger from the Aachen area. The environmental movement must actually be for dates 4. "Some people even give that up under their own hands. At some point we also have to be reasonable." The new power plant is scheduled to go into operation in the summer of 2020.
Uniper has invested 1.5 billion euros in Datteln 4
In fact, there is a ban on putting new coal-fired power plants into operation. But the federal government plans exceptions to this. This emerges from the ministerial draft of Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) for the Kohlaususstiegsgesetz. It should apply to those power plants for which "an immission control permit had already been issued at the time of the entry into force".
Since 2017, the energy company Uniper has had the necessary permits for turning on the plant in Datteln - and has invested more than 1.5 billion euros in Datteln. From the operation of the power plant, the Group expects an annual contribution to the operating profit of over one hundred million euros.
DPA
Unipolar power plant Datteln 4: Group, which is under construction, expects operating revenues of 100 million euros per year
The power plant block with a capacity of 1100 megawatts should go online in 2011. However, a series of negligence and breakdowns in the approval process as well as lengthy repair work have ensured that work is still being done on the construction site.
According to environmentalists, the power plant may no longer be turned on. The BUND referred to the final report of the coal commission, which states: "For power plants already built but not yet in operation, the Commission recommends seeking a negotiated solution so as not to put these power plants into operation." The coal power generation in Germany should be completed by 2038 at the latest.