GERMANY

Germany dropped from ranking seventh to ninth globally for operational coal capacity as of mid-2024, retiring 5,290 megawatts (MW) of capacity in the first sixth months of the year. The country has substantial domestic coal mining operations, especially of lignite. The country joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance in 2019. In July 2020, the German coal power exit law stipulated a coal exit by 2038 with an option to accelerate it to 2035. As summarized by Europe Beyond Fossil Fuels, the country’s plans are incompatible with the Paris Agreement, which requires rapid declines in coal power use by 2030. Following Germany’s September 2021 elections, the SPD, Greens and FDP entered into coalition negotiations and produced a consultation paper which established that a coal phaseout by 2030 is an ideal scenario, without referring to concrete steps. In September 2021, Germany was part of the coalition of national governments that launched the No New Coal Power Compact, which requires supporters to cease permitting of new coal power plants and end new construction of unabated coal plants by the end of 2021. Following the start of the Ukraine war, Germany dipped back into its coal power reserves, bringing 8 GW of coal power back into use and extending the lifetime of another 1,200 MW of coal powered capacity. However, the temporary return to coal was stipulated with an agreement with the German coal giant RWE to bring forward its regional coal phaseout to 2030. As of June 2024, Germany retained 32,406 MW of operating coal capacity.