Coal Mine in Germany Destroys Wind Farm to Boost Energy Supply, Climate Activists Outraged

An energy company in Germany is demolishing a wind farm to allow for a coal mine to boost the country’s energy supply, enraging climate activists.

QUICK FACTS:
  • Climate activists are outraged at the news that a wind farm in Germany is being replaced by a coal mine in order for the country to boost its energy supply, Fox News reported.
  • German coal mine “Garzweiler” owned and operated by energy company RWE, admits the move is contradictory but says sacrificing one energy source for another is necessary during the ongoing energy crisis.
  • “We realize this comes across as paradoxical,” RWE spokesperson Guido Steffen said in a statement. “But that is as matters stand.”
  • One of the farm’s wind turbines was taken down last week, and two others are expected to be taken down next year, with all being dismantled by the end of 2023.
FROM THE MINISTRY FOR ECONOMIC AND ENERGY AFFAIRS:

“In the current situation, all potential for the use of renewable energy should be exhausted as much as possible and existing turbines should be in operation for as long as possible,” a ministry spokesperson said.

BACKGROUND:
  • In 2000, Germany enacted the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), which required six percent of energy to come from “renewable resources.”
  • In 2017, the legislation was revised, requiring 40 to 45 percent of energy to come from “renewables” in 2025, and up to 65 percent in 2030, according to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
  • According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Russian gas imports account for 15 to 40 percent of annual energy consumption in countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
  • Earlier this year, the reliance on Russia to bridge the gap between energy needs and production came to a head when Russia invaded Ukraine.
  • Germany and Poland subsequently joined the United States and pledged to ban Russian oil by winding down pipeline imports by the end of the year.

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