L R AS Published on Tuesday 5 July 2022 - n° 411 - Categories:European countries
Austria returns to coal
The Fernitz-Mellach coal-fired power station in Austria on 24 June 2022 was closed just a few months ago. The Austrian government has decided to reopen the site
because of a shortage of Russian gas. This is symbolic for a country aiming for 100% renewable electricity by 2030.
The other power stations in Austria have already been dismantled. This one, operated by Verbund, is virtually intact and can be ready in four months' time. Just in time for winter.
Emergency solution
From Germany to the Netherlands, coal, which is in sharp decline in Europe in the name of the fight against climate change, is enjoying a resurgence of interest in the face of falling supplies of Russian gas and the risk of energy shortages in Europe.
In Austria, this measure will only be implemented in the event of an "emergency", Conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer told the foreign press on Monday, a week after taking the decision in consultation with his ecologist partners. "This shows what an extraordinary time we are living in", he explained.
In the event of supply problems, this 230-megawatt power station would take over from the adjacent gas-fired plant, which currently provides heating for Graz's 300,000 residents.
Restarting this plant will not be easy. First of all, the site has to be "modernised", staff with "the know-how" have to be recruited and, above all, sufficient coal has to be found. The coal used to come from the Silesian coalfield in Poland, but "now it will have to be sourced from further afield and at a much higher price than in 2020," warns the manager.
This resurgence in the use of coal is causing concern among environmentalists. In opposition, criticism has been rife, with the Social Democrats denouncing "an act of desperation by the Greens".
AFP and ABC Bourse of 28/06/22
