21 April 2020
Sweden follows hot on Austria’s heels to go coal free
BERLIN, 21 April 2020 – Sweden has become the third European country to totally eliminate coal from electricity production, with its last coal power plant, Stockholm Exergi AB’s Värtaverket, permanently closing two years ahead of schedule.
“With Sweden going coal free in the same week as Austria, the downward trajectory of coal in Europe is clear. Against the backdrop of the serious health challenges we are currently facing, leaving coal behind in exchange for renewables is the right decision, and will repay us in kind with improved health, climate protection and more resilient economies,” said Kathrin Gutmann, campaign director for Europe Beyond Coal.
Six more countries are expected to follow suit by 2025 or earlier, including France (2022), Slovakia (2023), Portugal (2023), the UK (2024), Ireland (2025) and Italy (2025); and five more by 2030 or earlier, which is the necessary end date for coal generation in Europe for the continent to be in line with the UN Paris climate agreement. This includes Greece (2028), the Netherlands (2029), Finland (2029), Hungary (2030), and Denmark (2030). Discussions are currently underway in the Czech Republic, Spain and North Macedonia over when to exit coal. Germany intends to exit coal by 2038, according to its yet-to-be adopted coal exit law – too late to honour its commitments under the UN Paris climate agreement.
Contacts:
Alastair Clewer, Communications Officer, Europe Beyond Coal
[email protected], +49 176 433 07 185
Kathrin Gutmann, Campaign Director, Europe Beyond Coal,
[email protected], +49 1577 8363 036
NOTES
- Since 2016, 15 European countries have announced to phase out coal for electricity production, 14 of them by 2030 and only Germany by 2038. Most recently, North Macedonia joined the ranks of the countries where a coal phase out is under discussion.
- More details on Europe’s coal phase out can be found in Europe Beyond Coal’s Coal Exit Tracker: https://beyond-coal.eu/coal-exit-tracker/
About:
Europe Beyond Coal is an alliance of civil society groups working to catalyse the closures of coal mines and power plants, prevent the building of any new coal projects and hasten the just transition to clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency. Our groups are devoting their time, energy and resources to this independent campaign to make Europe coal-free by 2030 or sooner. www.beyond-coal.eu