German power producer RWE to end coal use by 2030

ANKARA

German renewable energy company RWE is bringing forward its coal phase-out by eight years and is ready to end lignite-based electricity generation in 2030 as part of a deal reached with the government, RWE announced on Tuesday.

RWE confirmed that the company is investing billions of euros to accelerate the energy transition and is ready to phase out lignite by 2030.

The decision is part of an agreement between RWE and the government presented at a joint news conference in Berlin on Tuesday.

However, RWE said it would level up its employment in power plants fueled by heavily polluting lignite, or brown coal, in the short term due to Russia’s gas cuts to Europe amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

"In the current crisis, we are contributing to the security of supply in Germany by temporarily increasing the use of our lignite-fired power plants, and are thus also helping to displace gas from electricity generation," Chief Executive Officer Markus Krebber of RWE said in a statement.