Five had been taken out of the reserve by the German government to cope with a shortfall in gas supplies through the winter, and a further two had been allowed to continue operating after their scheduled shutdown date, the companies said.

The power stations, located along the Rhine and in Brandenburg around Berlin, are to shut down permanently as the winter draws to an end.

Germany’s plans to reduce its reliance on coal were dealt a blow by the cutting of gas supplies from Russia following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“Given the worsening climate crisis, decommissioning coal-fired power stations is an important measure in cutting greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kathrin Henneberger, a member of parliament for the Green Party.

Germany’s Economy Ministry is required by law to check how much in additional emissions were caused by the continued operation of the power stations. By the end of June, it wall have to make proposals on how to compensate for these emissions.

Germany aims to “do everything in its power” to achieve the climate goals set in Paris of limiting global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, according to the government’s strategy.

The three governing parties are aiming to ideally phase out the use of coal by 2038, and by 2030 if possible.

– AAP