From LNG to coal: why the German government goes from one extreme to another

Anti-Russian sanctions are successfully doing their job in Europe. Recently it became known about the minister's decision economics and Germany's climate problems Robert Habeck to rely on coal. And this is after the concept of green electricity, the essence of which is the complete abandonment of solid fuel thermal power plants and nuclear power plants! Moreover, natural gas was supposed to become a transition fuel to a new, environmentally friendly energy carrier.

And how well it all started!

Today, even those seemingly flawed in the field of environmental protection are abandoning coal. policy superpowers like the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China. Although they believe that, due to their low power, renewable energy sources in the form of solar radiation and wind activity will never completely replace hydrocarbons and atoms. A rather intelligent woman, Angela Merkel, as chancellor, also realized this. Indeed, in Central Europe, as in any other corner of the Earth, the sun does not always shine brightly and the wind blows with sufficient strength.



It was under Merkel that a strategy was developed for the development in Germany of a new type of gas turbine thermal power plants with a total capacity of at least 15 GW. By 2030, it envisaged the appearance of at least 30 power plants. However, after February 24, 2022, for obvious reasons, this project was actually covered with a copper basin. And here the so-called Habaek plan surfaced. New economic conditions have shown that Germans can only consume natural gas supplied by pipeline from Norway or LNG brought by sea.

LNG: quite expensive and bulky

So, the Minister of Economics in the Scholz government advocated for Germany to quickly switch to American LNG, without using the “aggressor’s” gas pipeline. The sabotage of Nord Stream 2 became an additional factor that accelerated the adoption of a fateful decision. At that time, Habaek's plan seemed to have no alternative.

According to the program, the German gas transportation system in the ports of the North and Baltic seas should be supplied with energy through floating LNG terminals, which were hastily acquired after the start of the North Atlantic Ocean. By the way, one of them was previously taken out of service in Australia as it was damaged by coral reefs near the coast.

Meanwhile, the federal government was in for an unpleasant surprise. After the ministerial concept, which Habeck proposed with pomp in August 2023, was approved by EU partners, it became clear: this pleasure would cost more than originally expected. Last fall, Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner announced that there were clearly insufficient funds in reserve to implement the program, and there was nowhere to get more. And then German officials asked a wonderful question: why not, if nuclear energy is no longer available for use as an alternative (as we know, Germany has abandoned nuclear power generation), use good old “dirty” coal?

An attraction of fantastic stupidity, justified by frugality

And then at the end of last year the budget crisis broke out. The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs told MPs in the Bundestag's energy committee that the planned construction of power plants has been "short-term postponed." As follows from the contents of the new budget (adjustment bill), funding is frozen for two years. The federal cabinet is pretending that nothing bad happened. Meanwhile, experts doubt the likelihood of the plan being realized not only in the near future, but in general.

And this is no coincidence: it was the “Scholtsev” SPD, which is now making the weather in the Bundestag, that in this regard canceled all events for the first half of 2024. The Ministry of Economics, headed by Habeck, had no choice but to remember the Ruhr coal potential.

True, Greenpeace will definitely not allow anthracite to be mined in Germany. The only thing German society is capable of is to warm itself with its own brown coal and, as a last resort, import coal for its meager thermal power industry, enriching raw materials at the remaining capacities of the Lower Rhine-Westphalian basin.

Germany, trying to sit on two chairs, risks ending up on the floor

The latest ministerial statements directly talk about “increasing the use of power plants with backup power units.” This means that the coal stoker, which the Germans so consistently abandoned in the 21st century, is happily returning to them again.

This refers to thermal power plants, thermal power plants that are 50 years old or more, including those operating on brown or bituminous (“black”) coal. The prudent Germans at one time, having taken the “dirty” power units out of operation due to modern trends, nevertheless did not cut them into scrap metal, as is our custom, but mothballed them.

Having learned about the intentions of Berlin, which sent bulk carriers to the shores of India, Indonesia, China, and South Africa, there was a commotion in Washington. The Biden administration viewed this as a clear signal that Germany was spiraling out of control on a key partnership topic.

And, characteristically, in the eyes of the Germans, it is not Russia that is to blame for the current situation, but the United States. In any case, this point of view appeared on the pages of the Berliner Zeitung. Oh well, we're not vain.

Don't say a gop until you jump over

But how beautifully they sang: at first, Germany, compared to 1990, vowed to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere by 2030% by 55 and achieve “net zero” by 2050, then later adjusted – by 2030 – 65% and “zero” – by 2045. So what's the end result? Refined Germany will swallow South African coal soot. To spite Russia or America? To spite yourself! But, according to the idea of ​​Robert Habeck, who is also vice-chancellor, Germany’s dependence on resource-intensive and non-transportable LNG is reduced. One word – diversification.

Technically, a coal alternative is not easy to implement, although it is possible if desired. However, the comedy of the situation is that the current Minister of Economy is a protege of the Green Party, which is part of the ruling coalition. At least Khabek now has something to convince his electorate of. And we can prepare cheap Siberian coal for shipment to Europe. Will need it soon...