Energy Transition in Europe | www.energy-cities.eu

Coal-mining regions could in future convert their old district heating supply into a climate-friendly, low-carbon supply system. A regulatory sandbox for the energy transition is now testing how this can be achieved across four locations in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The much-acclaimed 'TransUrban.NRW' project is investigating new ideas for supplying heat in a typical former coal-mining region that has undergone a process of structural change. The heat supply is to make large-scale use of geothermal energy as well as include other renewable energy from wastewater and low-temperature waste heat. The low-temperature supply networks required to implement this system can be newly constructed or integrated into the existing infrastructure. The project will run for five years and is being supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy which is providing around €16.7 million in funding.

The closure of the last coal-fired cogeneration plant moves the city much closer to its goal of becoming fossil fuel-free by 2040
Operations at the coal-fired cogeneration plant KVV6 at Värtaverket, which has supplied heat and electricity to Stockholmers since 1989, ground to a halt on 16 April. This event made no ripples in the coronavirus-dominated media mix, but it was worth mentioning. Now that the last remaining facility of this type in Sweden’s capital has been shut down, the city's has come much closer to its ambitious target of being fossil fuel-free by 2040.

Plus de 600 milliards de dollars injectés dans des projets de centrales à charbon risquent de poser problème à leurs investisseurs, en majorité représentés par les gouvernements.

Global warming emissions from the power sector fell by 12% last year, led by a steep decline in coal power generation, which was replaced half by natural gas and half by renewables, according to fresh data published on Wednesday (5 February).

The power sector’s CO2 emissions declined at record speed in 2019 – by 12% or 120 million tonnes, according to climate think tanks Agora Energiewende and Sandbag.

Hard coal and lignite-fired power generation fell in every EU country – and by 24% overall – according to fresh data on European power sector emissions, covering all EU member states, including the UK.

Efforts by Polish state-owned utility PGE to expand a brown coal mine near the Czech border is putting Poland at odds with Prague — normally a close ally on energy issues.
The Turów mine's current license expires in April. PGE's goal is to continue mining until 2044 and to expand the mining area to just 100 meters from the border.
The Czech and German towns just a few kilometers from the mine and the smokestacks of PGE's 1.3-gigawatt power plant — Europe’s seventh-most polluting — are furious about the idea.

An agreement reached in the early hours of Thursday (16 January) between the federal government and representatives of the four German coal states won't bring the country much closer to reaching its climate goals, analysts said.

Speaking at recent EURACTIV event, Marc Lemaître, director-general for regional and urban policy at the European Commission, said new the Just Transition Mechanism would focus “on the communities and people who will face the biggest challenge in terms of job losses because of the necessary energy transition.”

The EU official cited western Macedonia as “an extreme case” to illustrate his point. The Northern Greek region directly depends on coal – mining and power plants – for one-third of its GDP, he pointed out. And the Greek government has decided to close down all the plants “before 2030” as part of its climate commitments, he said.

“We will make western Macedonia a role model region in the transition from lignite to clean energy and a different economic activity,” Mitsotakis emphasised.

EU coal regions could supply 730 GW of solar power while providing employment for miners

Having experienced the impacts of the mass closure of car factories in the UK 40 years ago on families, the local economy and communities, Theresa Griffin, Member of the European Parliament, underlines the imperative for law makers and businesses to put in place today the funding and policies needed to ensure a clean energy transition where no-one is left behind

Austria officially closed its last coal-fired power plant on Friday (17 April), becoming the second EU country to exit coal after Belgium in 2016.

The definitive closure of Verbund’s Mellach coal-fired district heating plant was announced last year after relentless campaigning by climate activists Global 2000.

The plant stopped operating on Friday after the end of the heating season.

The closure is “a historic step”, said Leonore Gewessler, Austria’s minister for climate action, environment, energy and mobility. “By 2030, we will convert to 100% green electricity,” she added.

Has coal consumption peaked? Who is turning away from coal?
In a previous article published in 2019, we explained why global coal consumption was on the rise. Recent announcements by several governments on their coal phase-out plans, the advanced closure of old power plants and the freezing of some projects under construction may indicate a reversal of the trend for coal in the coming years. Do these signs herald the end of coal in the world?
Using Enerdata’s databases and information sources, we decipher the major global coal trends in the short and medium term. This brief was prepared by Bruno Lapillonne, co-founder of Enerdata and Carine Sebi, Chair coordinator at Grenoble Ecole de Management.

Poland’s PGE is one of Europe’s most fossil fuel intensive energy firms. Coal makes up around 90% of its electricity generation. It’s been investing around PLN 28bn ($7.2bn, €7bn) to build three new coal power plant units, acquire the Polish coal assets of France’s EDF, and upgrade its existing fleet to meet air quality standards. But a new and detailed report from IEEFA warns that the profitability of these investments will decline in the 2020s thanks to rising carbon costs, falling capacity payments and high maintenance expenditures. A high carbon price will make them loss-making. Instead the report “How to Create a Profitable Polish Electricity System” recommends that PGE invest urgently in low-carbon, low-risk, high-cash generating assets, and especially renewables.

The German federal cabinet signed off on the country’s coal phase-out bill on Wednesday (29 January), giving its blessing to billions worth of taxpayer money to compensate for power companies’ lost revenues.

Tirintica has been working in the coal sector since 2014 in Romania’s Jiu Valley region — once a coal economic powerhouse. He was one of 10 miners invited to see how his skills could be adapted to match the needs of the renewable energy industry or those of the energy distribution sector. It’s the test phase of a pilot project spearheaded by the Romanian Wind Energy Association (RWEA).
The association’s goal is to get EU funds and strike a deal with an existing renewable energy skills academy located by Romania’s Black Sea coast that could retrain about 100 miners as part of an extended pilot project. The long-term goal is a 10-year project to reskill 800 miners per year. For now, private companies will finance the handful of miners involved in the early trial.

Increasing environmental regulations and fierce competition from renewable energies are increasingly making coal-fired power operate at a loss. According to a British think tank, coal-fired power plants are losing billions of euros every year, but energy companies say this is nonsense.

A group of 41 mayors from 10 coal regions in 9 European countries launched a statement supporting a just transition to the post-coal era, reports WWF. The declaration was presented to the EU Commission's Deputy Director-General for Energy, Klaus-Dieter Borchardt at the meeting of the EU "Coal Regions in Transition Platform" in Brussels on 16 October. The Platform aims to help regions overcome their dependence on coal by developing sustainable economic activities.