BERLIN. The German government has signalled a potential reversal of its coal phase-out policy as the country confronts a deepening energy crisis. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cabinet is reportedly considering delaying the closure of coal-fired power plants and even reactivating decommissioned units to secure winter supplies.
Russia’s throttling of natural gas exports and the ongoing shutdown of nuclear reactors have left Europe’s largest economy scrambling to avoid blackouts. The move underscores the brutal physics of energy transitions: you cannot abandon one source without a reliable replacement. Germany’s renewables capacity solar and wind has grown, but intermittency remains a glaring vulnerability.
When the sun sets and the wind lulls, the grid demands dispatchable power. Coal, for all its carbon baggage, provides that baseload stability. The government’s own emissions targets may be postponed as a result.
According to internal documents, the proposed measure could add up to 10 gigawatts of coal capacity onto the grid, equivalent to several large power stations. Energy minister Robert Habeck of the Greens party, who has championed an accelerated coal exit by 2030, now faces the grim calculus of prioritising energy security over climate targets. Meanwhile, industries from chemicals to automotive warn of production halts without reliable power.
The irony is sharp: Germany shut its last three nuclear plants in April 2023, drawing criticism that it sacrificed low-carbon baseload power for a political ideal. Now, as coal dust settles on the debate, the lesson is clear. Electrons do not care about ideology.
The planet, however, heats further with every tonne of CO₂. If Germany fires up its coal plants, it will not only increase its own emissions but also undermine the European Union’s collective climate pledges under the Paris Agreement. Neighbours like France, struggling with nuclear maintenance, may be forced to follow suit.
This is the cold reality of an energy system pushed past its margins. The question is no longer whether coal will be used, but for how long and at what cost to the biosphere.
