Coal phase-out in heart of coal county āa decided thingā
A coal exit in Cottbus, the largest city of one of Germanyās most important coal producing regions, is inevitable, writes Nick Reimer in Zeit Online. The municipal utilityās lignite power plant will be taken off the grid and replaced by a new gas-fired facility by 2022 at the latest. āBrown coal is politically and morally worn out,ā Vlatko Knezevic, managing director of Cottbusā public utility, says. Despite criticism from coal workers and pro-coal associations, Knezevic says that his job is āto avert damage for the city, the public utility, and its employees. Lignite is a major burden for the Cottbus utility; natural gas is more sustainable.ā
Read the article in German .
For background, read the factsheets Coal in Germany and When will Germany finally ditch coal?