Go bye-bye! It has been pleasant to report more and more countries taking the Pledge, but it is much sweeter to see them achieve it. Coal first, then gas and oil, as demand for each collapses. Belgium first, then Austria, then Sweden, then…
The announcement, along with Austria's, also advances Europe's movement away from coal, EURACTIV reported. Belgium became the first EU country to phase out coal for heating and power in 2016. Six more countries have pledged to follow suit by 2025 and five more by 2030. Germany, which is the world's No. 1 producer of brown lignite coal, reached an agreement in January to stop burning the fuel by 2038.
Two Years Early, Sweden Shuts Down Its Final Coal-Fired Power Plant
As Stockholm Exergi explained, before the winter of 2019-2020, the company shut down one of KVV6’s two boilers, and converted the other to a power reserve. Because the winter wound up being mild, Stockholm Exergi did not need to use energy from the reserves, meaning the company was able to close the plant down this month, rather than in 2022 as planned.