German energy state sec says Hambach Forest must go for supply security
The embattled Hambach Forest has to be cut down to ensure a secure power supply for Germany, energy state secretary Thomas Barei脽 said at an event organised by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) in London, Adam Vaughan writes in The Guardian. Barei脽 said the clearing of anti-coal activist camps 鈥渟hould go ahead鈥� as energy company RWE had 鈥渁 right to do this鈥� even though Germany鈥檚 coal exit commission is still debating the conditions for ending coal-fired power production in the country. Barei脽 said Germany, which sources nearly 40 percent of power from coal, would still need its coal plants in the early 2020s. That is partly because Germany is also due to shut its last nuclear power station in 2022. 鈥淎t end of the decade there is more possibility to shut coal [plants],鈥� he said.
In a separate article by news agency Reuters, Barei脽 is quoted as saying that the planned natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 between Germany and Russia is also necessary to keep supply levels safe. 鈥淚 know the U.S. has concerns,鈥� he said with a view to loud complaints by US President Donald Trump about German-Russian gas trade. 鈥淚t is not so easy,鈥� Barei脽 added. 鈥淔or Germany, Russia has always been a safe and reliable supplier for gas.鈥�
Read the Guardian article in English and the Reuters article in English .
Find background in the factsheets on Germany鈥檚 coal exit commission and on Nord Stream 2.