Germany to continue operating coal power plants for another season amid energy shortage

The German government is keeping its lignite coal power plants on standby for another winter season as the country is facing disruptions in gas supplies coming from Russia following the Ukraine war, combined with failures in France’s nuclear generation capacity.

The decision comes despite the government's earlier plans for a coordinated shutdown of the energy source due to its heavy contribution to pollution, as reported by the Tagesschau.

The lignite plants will be used to push gas out of the energy market during peak demand season, which will decrease electricity prices by a range of €0.4 per Megawatt-hour (MWh) to €2.8 per MWh, which was initially carried out last year when the energy crunch occurred following the war in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on Russian gas.

Critics of the decision point to the significant climate impact this will have due to the plants' high carbon emissions, raising concerns about Germany's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.