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Germany to Reconnect First Coal Power Plant
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Grid... of Germany's pursuit of so-called "green energy" and its policy of relying on Russian gas in the meantime, a coal-fired power plant will be reconnected to the nation's electricity grid...
On Monday, the manager of the Czech-owned EGH operating company, Kathrin Voelkner said:
The move was preceded by the federal government implementing an emergency ordinance to allow mothballed oil and coal-powered plants to open back up until April of next year, as the country faces a shortfall in its energy amid the conflict in Ukraine.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck, a leading member of the German Greens, has described the decision to turn back on coal plants as "bitter" but a necessary evil.
While the government has allowed for the return to coal power, the socialist SPD-led traffic light coalition government has so far refused to abandon its decision to shut its remaining nuclear power plants by the end of the year, a move that followed years of anti-nuclear policies from former Chancellor Angela Merkel following the Fukushima meltdown in Japan.
The co-leader of The Greens, Ricarda Lang has said that a return to nuclear power,
Lang said that there was a "lack of seriousness" in the debate surrounding nuclear, which she described as a "highly risky technology," despite nuclear power being one of the safest major energy sources in the world...
Others have disagreed with the anti-nuclear stance of the government, including Saxony Prime Minister Michael Kretschmerhas, who declared last week that the green agenda has failed.
Despite longstanding warnings from figures such as former President Donald Trump, the country has remained heavily reliant on Russia for gas.
While Russia has claimed that,
...others have suggested that it is a retaliatory strike in response to sanctions levied against Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Presently, the biggest concern facing Germany is potential blackouts during the winter, which could lead to dangerous situations, particularly for elderly people.
However, some cities have already begun putting rationing measures in place, including Hanover, which became the first major European city this week to place limits on hot water use in public buildings.
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