• smegforbrains@lemmy.ml
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        9 months ago

        There seems to be a misunderstanding, Germany is reactivating old coal power plants, not building new ones.

        This happened because we wanted to get out of nuclear energy. This started already in 2011. This was called the “Atomausstieg”(nuclear power phase-out) and it was supported by a large part of the German populace. Especially in the aftermath of the Fukushima meltdown, Germany wanted to get out of nuclear power production. This phase-out was finished in 2023. But when the war in Ukraine started the German dependence on Russian gas proved to be a problem. In order to address this 14 old coal power plants have been reactivated.

        According to the current plans Germany wants to build 40 new climate neutral hydrogen power plants.

        https://www.base.bund.de/DE/themen/kt/ausstieg-atomkraft/ausstieg_node.html

        Google translate: https://www-base-bund-de.translate.goog/DE/themen/kt/ausstieg-atomkraft/ausstieg_node.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

        • ☆ Yσɠƚԋσʂ ☆@lemmy.mlOP
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          9 months ago

          You’re just splitting hairs here. Whether these are old deactivated plants or brand new ones doesn’t change the overall picture which is that coal is playing a bigger role in the energy sector now. Also, what proved to be a problem was that US bombed a pipeline and Germany inexplicably chose to not use the remaining one while purchasing Russian LNG from third parties.

          • smegforbrains@lemmy.ml
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            9 months ago

            I don’t think this is splitting hairs. New coal power plants have a life time of~35 years. Germany wants to phase out coal power by 2038. So when you’re building new power plants, you don’t plan to stop to use them in fourteen years time. But Germany wants to phase out coal power, so fourteen power plants have been reactivated for as long as they are not substituted by new hydrogen gas power plants, which is supposed to happen over the next years.