German energy giant RWE brought forward its exit from coal power to 2030 on Tuesday amid fears the country’s plans to abandon fossil fuels are wobbling following the energy crisis caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia’s curtailing of gas exports to Germany in the wake of the Ukraine war has forced Berlin to make the radical decision to restart mothballed coal power stations, at least temporarily.
“As more coal is needed in the short term, thereby leading to rising carbon dioxide emissions, we will need an earlier coal exit because this is the only way to continue to achieve the country’s climate protection goals,” RWE chief executive Markus Krebber told a press conference.—AFP
