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Open pit lignite mining in Inden in North Rhine-Westphalia
Photo: Rupert Oberhäuser / imago images / Rupert Oberhäuser
On Wednesday evening, the Bundestag approved a contract concluded by the federal government with the lignite operators.
In view of the coal phase-out, this provides for billions in compensation for the premature shutdown of power plant units.
According to this, Germany's largest electricity producer RWE receives a total of 2.6 billion euros, and 1.75 billion euros are earmarked for the East German Leag.
The gradual departure from coal-based electricity has already begun: A small power plant block of an RWE lignite power plant in the Rheinische Revier stopped production at the turn of the year.
In order to protect the climate, electricity generation from coal should be a thing of the past by 2038 at the latest.
Until then, the federal government wants to repeatedly review the consequences of the coal phase-out for the security of supply and the development of electricity prices - because the last nuclear power plant in Germany is to be shut down by the end of 2022.
However, it is also to be examined whether the coal phase-out can be brought forward to 2035.
Fixed shutdown dates and compensation amounts were negotiated with the lignite operators.
For hard coal, however, where there are many different power plant operators, a tendering model applies.
The operators who demand the lowest amount per ton of CO2 avoided receive the surcharge for compensation.
Economics Minister Peter Altmaier first mentioned the sums for the lignite companies in January 2020, after which they were listed in the "public law contracts" that the government negotiated with the operators of the lignite power plants.
At the time it was unclear how exactly these contributions came about.
"The compensation is the result of an intensive negotiation process," replied the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWi) only in July when asked by SPIEGEL.
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ptz / dpa