Is Germany looking again at coal-powered electricity?

Is Germany looking again at coal-powered electricity?Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesImage caption, Germany currently gets 20% of its electricity from coal-powered stationsByJohn LaurensonBusiness reporterPublished22 June 2026They have a word for it in German – kohleausstieg, which means "coal phase out".Germany is the biggest user of coal for power generation in Europe, and the fourth largest in the world after China, India and the US. But it has pledged to stop using it altogether by 2038.For lignite, the low-quality soft coal that is the most polluting, Germany has even brought the phase out forward to 2030.Currently some 20% of German power generation comes from coal, but it wishes to end this as it focuses on growing wind and solar.In fact, Germany already gets more than half of its electricity from renewables, 59% last year., externalAs back-up to wind and solar, especially for the winter months, it wants to replace coal with more natural gas power stations. These generally release half as much carbon dioxide as coal, and gas currently accounts for 13% of German electricity generation.However, the recent jump in global gas prices following the US-Israel conflict with Iran, has encouraged a number of countries to reconsider coal as an energy source.Japan has loosened rules, external to allow for the increased use of coal-fired power plants, Italy is delaying the closure, external of its remaining stations until 2038, and India has postponed maintenance , externalshutdowns.But what about Germany? Back in March, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: "We must supply this country with electricity. I am not prepared to jeopardise the core of our industry simply because we have adopted phase-out plans that have become unrealistic."Was this the start of a phase-out of the phase-out? Is Germany going to keep coal power after all?The problem for the German government regarding what the country burns to make electricity is a two-fold one of supply and pri...