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Jänschwalde lignite-fired power plant in Lusatia
Photo: Patrick Pleul / dpa
Referring to the energy crisis, the heads of government of the East German coal states have warned against a premature phase-out of coal and have called for the federal government to be reliable.
"The lignite is currently and foreseeably needed as seldom before to ensure a secure energy supply for Germany," says a letter from Dietmar Woidke (Brandenburg), Michael Kretschmer (Saxony) and Reiner Haseloff (Saxony-Anhalt) that became known on Friday ) to Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Nevertheless, the Federal Ministry of Economics in particular is exerting "direct and indirect pressure in a variety of ways to persuade the East German lignite companies to exit early".
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According to the three prime ministers, significant financial benefits are planned in legislative processes, "which are obviously also intended to 'motivate' the East German mining companies to also agree to an earlier phase-out date, following the example of the Rhenish mining area."
The coal consensus is being called into question and softened.
The year 2038 was originally set as the date for the coal phase-out.
In its coalition agreement, the traffic light coalition in Berlin formulated that it would “ideally” exit by 2030.
Financial risks for countries
Woidke, Kretschmer and Haseloff pointed out that this fact unsettled the people in the East German coalfields and increased the financial risks for the countries.
»Due to the discontinuation of the option of cheap electricity generation from gas-fired power plants, which was previously taken for granted, German power generation is under great strain.« Security of supply and competitiveness needed a discussion about expansion.
»And that means an increase in secure capacity, grids and storage.«
"I think the exit from coal in Saxony before 2038 is absolutely necessary in terms of climate policy," countered Kretschmer's deputy and energy minister Wolfram Günther (Greens).
The exit will come before 2038 for economic reasons, regardless of political decisions.
In order to prepare Saxony as an energy state and business location for an earlier phase-out of coal, the expansion of renewable energy must be massively accelerated.
mfh/dpa