A number of EU countries have launched emergency plans aimed to lower and ration the use of natural gas and resurrect coal-fired power production, Business Insider reported on Tuesday.
This week, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands announced that coal-generated power could help them cope with an energy crisis in the coming winter. German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the country made a “bitter” decision to restart coal power plants.
“But if we don’t do it, then we run the risk that the storage facilities will not be full enough at the end of the year towards the winter season. And then we are blackmailable on a political level,” he stated, as cited by Reuters. Austria also announced that it would be converting a gas-fired power plant to run on coal in case of emergencies, while the Netherlands removed its limit on coal-generated energy production.
Reports also indicate that Italy’s coal-fired power plants have been stocking up on coal over the last few months.
www.rt.com/business/557554-europe-coal-energy-crisis/