Page 4 - FSUOGM Week 26 2022

FSUOGM COMMENTARY FSUOGM

The smog of war: Europe turns

back to coal amid cuts in

Russian gas flows

With several member states now resorting to coal-fired power, the goals of

Fit-for-55 look increasingly allusive.

RUSSIA FOLLOWING another round of reductions in In Germany, Europe’s biggest energy market,
Russian natural gas supply, several European the government announced on June 19 it would
WHAT: countries have raised the prospect of ramping replace some gas use in power generation with
Austria, Germany, Italy up dirtier coal-fired power generation to avert coal to conserve gas supply.
and the Netherlands have potential energy shortages this coming winter. “That means, to be honest, more coal-fired
all signalled that coal can While these moves may well be prudent under power plants for a transitional period,” Habeck,
help see Europe through such extreme circumstances, they also cast fur- a member of the Greens, one of three parties that
the energy crisis.. ther doubt on the EU’s ability to live up to the cli- forms Germany’s coalition government, said.
mate aspirations set out in its Fit-for-55 package. “That’s bitter, but it’s sheer necessity in this situa-
WHY: After already slashing gas flow to buyers in tion to reduce gas consumption.”
Russia has cut back on Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland Habeck’s party has pushed for a faster exit
gas flow to Germany, Italy and the Netherlands in April and May, Gaz- from coal.
and France. prom announced in mid-June it was reducing Germany previously had its nuclear power
shipments via the Nord Stream 1 by 60%, citing plants (NPPs) to fall back on, but it shut over 4
WHAT NEXT: technical difficulties, although European lead- GW of capacity at the end of last year, in line with
While resuming ers have panned the move as politically moti- government commitments made in the wake of
coal burning may vated. Since then, Austria, Germany, Italy and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. It is due to
be necessary, it also the Netherlands have all signalled that restoring close a similar amount of capacity at the end of
undermines the EU's coal-fired power generation can help see Europe this year, and so far the government has shown
efforts towards net zero. through the energy crisis. no indication it will revise this schedule. This is

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