Russia’s gas cuts for Europe have prompted a number of countries to start burning coal again, raising concerns as the EU seeks to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Here’s a look at the situation:
– Coal still there, but declining –
Coal is the world’s most important energy source for electricity generation, but it is also the largest producer of greenhouse gases.
Its use is declining in the European Union, where 202 coal-fired power plants with a production capacity of 111 gigawatts were operating earlier this year, according to the Global Energy Monitor, a US-based NGO.
Germany has the most facilities with 63, followed by 44 in neighboring Poland and 24 in the Czech Republic.
But their use is declining in the EU-27, with coal accounting for 13 percent of electricity generation in 2020, compared with 25 percent in 2013, partly due to the rising cost of CO2 emission allowances.
“Since 2015, all European countries have progressively committed to phasing out coal, including Poland, which has been strongly opposed,” said Nicolas Berghmans of the Paris Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations.
Unlike other regions like Asia, there are no new coal projects in Europe.
Some countries, like Portugal, have completely eliminated the use of the fossil fuel.
– A temporary grace period –
Russia’s halt to natural gas supplies threatens to quickly lead to shortages, which is why several countries have announced temporary measures in favor of coal.
One such country is Germany, where coal-fired power plants will run longer than planned. Berlin has insisted this will not change its plans to phase out coal by 2030.
Austria, Italy and the Netherlands have made similar announcements.
Germany has already increased coal consumption: in the first five months of the year, power generation from coal increased by 20 percent, according to Rystad Energy, a research and business intelligence firm.
The EU has decided to ban Russian coal from August, requiring it to import hard coal supplies from other countries. Europe has almost enough lignite, which pollutes the environment the most.
In March, the German Association of Hard Coal Importers estimated that Russian imports could quickly be replaced by supplies from countries such as the USA, Colombia, South Africa, Australia, Mozambique and Indonesia.
– some leeway –
EU officials have called for using the crisis to spur the clean energy transition rather than a return to dirty fuels.
Berghmans noted that using coal-fired power plants would result in a temporary increase in CO2 emissions.
“Nevertheless, using these plants that should be closed has the advantage of not having to invest in new capacity,” he said.
Europe is in a completely different situation than Asia, where projects for new coal-fired power plants are still being tackled. These plants are expected to be in operation for decades.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported a worrying surge in investment in coal projects, up 10 percent in 2021, with a focus on Asia. A similar increase is expected for 2022.
EU members are currently discussing a plan called RepowerEU that would accelerate the push towards renewable energy sources and reduce overall demand.
Berghmans expressed confidence that renewable energy and a reduction in demand would allow Europe to “turn the corner” and meet its climate targets.
The IEA, which has presented a plan to help Europe reduce its dependence on Russian gas, believes there is some scope for the continent to return to using coal without increasing CO2 emissions.
According to his calculations, Europe can replace about 14 percent of the imported Russian gas with electricity from coal without producing more pollutants.
#Russia #phasing #gas #coal #making #comeback #Europe
