Europe’s leading energy companies will not build new coal-fired power plants in the European Union after 2020, the Union of the Electricity Industry (EURELECTRIC) announced Wednesday.
The decision was taken to support the goals agreed by the international community under the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.
'The central goal of the Paris Agreement is to keep the maximum global average temperature rise as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius,' according to the statement.
According to EURELECTRIC, heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions from coal are a primary cause of climate change.
The union represents 3,500 companies across Europe with an aggregate turnover of €200 billion.
The European electricity sector is committed to delivering a carbon neutral power supply in Europe by 2050, and to ensuring a competitively priced and reliable electricity supply throughout the integrated European energy market.
By Gulsen Cagatay
Anadolu Agency
gulsen.cagatay@aa.com.tr