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Why Every European Country Needs a Coal Phase-Out Plan

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Why Every European Country Needs a Coal Phase-Out Plan END OF AN ERA: WHY EVERY EUROPEAN COUNTRY NEEDS A COAL PHASE-OUT PLAN This report has been commissioned by Section 1: Greenpeace UK and Climate Action Network Europe to assess the impact that the 22 EU Why leadership is needed on member states that still rely on coal power coal globally have on Europe’s ability to ensure that page 4 climate change is limited to below 2°C. Section 2: Written by: EU countries’ emissions are not falling fast enough Dave Jones, Sandbag Kathrin Gutmann, Climate Action Network Europe page 8 Acknowledgements: Section 3: Thank you to Klima-Allianz Germany and other NGO Every European country needs a partners for their research collaboration as part of the coal plant tracker project, coordinated by Climate Action coal phase-out plan Network Europe. A beta-version of this tracker helped page 16 inform some of the facts and figures related to coal power stations used herein. Publication forthcoming. Greenpeace UK Greenpeace stands for positive change through action. We defend the natural world and promote peace. We champion environmentally responsible and socially just solutions, including scientific and technical innovation. Greenpeace is an independent global organisation with offices across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. We do not accept donations from governments or corporations, giving us the freedom to campaign to ensure a peaceful and sustainable world for future generations. Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe The Climate Action Network Europe is Europe’s largest coalition working on climate and energy issues. With over 120 member organisations in more than 30 European countries – representing over 44 million citizens – CAN Europe works to prevent dangerous climate change and promote sustainable climate and energy policy in Europe. CAN Europe is a regional node of the Climate Action Network International, a worldwide network of over 900 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Executive Summary Key findings Coal power generation is prevalent and polluting. In 2015, Across the world, civil society organisations are calling for 22 EU countries were still burning coal in 280 coal power fossil fuel emissions to be phased out and for renewable plants. In 2014, coal power stations produced 18 % of total energy to be phased in. Their vision is a 100 % renewable European GHG emissions. energy future, where sustainable power supplies are accessible for all. This future is not only possible, it is The European coal fleet is inefficient, old and dirty. In essential. If we are to limit climate change to well below 2015, 66 % of Europe’s coal fleet had been in operation for 2°C, the global transition from dirty to clean energy needs 30 years or more. A single coal power station produces to happen fast, and no later than 2050. enough CO2 to matter at a national level. For example, Discussions about climate change often rightly focus Portugal’s two coal power plants contribute 16 % of on solutions, exploring the opportunities of a rapidly national GHG emissions. expanding renewables sector and dramatic increases in energy efficiency. But attention also needs to be given to Closing coal power stations represents an enormous the problem itself – the burning of fossil fuels. opportunity. Even in countries with just one or two coal There is a huge energy transition underway across the power stations, phasing out coal could make a significant world. Countries are committing to build vast amounts of contribution to reducing emissions and protecting the wind and solar capacity to generate clean electricity. But, climate. in Europe, this has not led to as large a fall in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) as many had forecast. European coal emissions must fall three times faster. This report highlights that policy is helping to drive a An International Energy Agency (IEA) model shows that, global transition to a zero-carbon economy, but also shows to limit warming to 2°C, European coal emissions must fall that policy is needed to drive a transition out of a high-carbon on average by 8 % every year until 2040. But CO2 emissions economy too. The report focuses on the 22 EU member states from coal power stations fell on average by just 2.3 %, per that still rely on coal power stations for electricity generation, year, over the last nine years. and underlines that continuing to burn coal threatens the world’s chances of limiting warming. It explains why A policy gap is failing Europe, and the rest of the world. European countries must lead the way on phasing out coal, This report demonstrates the urgent need for a dedicated setting an example that the rest of the world can follow. and managed approach to coal if we are to phase it out at Underlying this report are the results of a year-long the speed required. exercise to map all the coal power stations in Europe. Coordinated by the Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, National coal phase-out plans are essential. Countries a large and comprehensive database of all Europe’s coal across Europe must enact strong national coal phase- power stations was built. This database links power stations out plans. Such plans could have a significant impact on to official EU registries to get up-to-date CO2 emissions for reducing national, European and global GHG emissions, 2014, and also to 2013 data on all non-CO2 pollutants. Added and will provide the leadership needed to demonstrate to to this is a wealth of information at a unit level, including the rest of the world how to achieve a full coal phase-out. commissioning dates, Megawatt capacity, fuel type and announced closure dates, which have enabled us to perform On 18 November 2015, the UK announced a plan to phase a comprehensive analysis of the coal situation in Europe. out all its coal-fired power stations by 2025. In doing this, This is the first analysis of its kind of Europe’s coal the UK Energy minister had some tough words for coal: power stations. Up to now, analysis has focused on either ‘It cannot be satisfactory for an advanced economy the entire electricity sector (including gas and oil power like the UK to be relying on polluting, carbon intensive stations), or the entire coal sector (including coal use for 50-year-old coal-fired power stations. Let me be clear: steel and cement), which means the specific impact of coal this is not the future.’ 1 power stations has never been fully reported until now. 1 Section 1: Why coal is bad for the climate Why leadership CO2 emissions from coal are significantly higher is needed on compared to other energy sources coal globally All fossil fuels need to be phased out / kWh 2 The evidence is clear: to avoid catastrophic climate change, we need to phase out fossil fuels. Governments 1015 855 400 around the world agree that average global warming CO Grams needs to be limited to 2°C; in fact, many countries want to go further and limit it to 1.5°C to safeguard the most vulnerable.2 In 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel Lignite Hard Coal Gas Wind Solar on Climate Change (IPCC) said, ‘to limit warming Source: IEA (2014): CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Edition 2014, p.60. to below 2°C, it would require substantial emissions reductions over the next few decades, and near-zero 88% of global coal reserves need to stay CO2 emissions by the end of the century.’3 in the ground In response, in 2015 the G7 countries agreed, for the first time, that a complete decarbonisation of the global economy is needed over the course of this century. To this end, they committed to strive for a To stay below 2°C, ‘transformation of the energy sectors by 2050’.4 University College London Under the umbrella of the Climate Action Network estimates 88% of global coal reserves (CAN), civil society wants countries to go further, will have to stay in the ground. faster. If we are to limit warming to 2°C, and stand a Source: See McGlade, C & Ekins, P. (2015): The geographical distribution of fossil fuels fighting chance of limiting it to 1.5°C, CAN argues that unused when limiting global warming to 2°C. Nature. all fossil fuel emissions need to be phased out, and a 100 % renewable energy future phased in, as soon as Drastic emissions reductions by global coal possible, and no later than 2050. are needed in order to stay below 2°C This report shows how continuing to burn coal to generate electricity threatens the global push to limit climate change to below 2°C, and explains why European countries need to take a bold lead on phasing out coal power generation.5 emissions 2 9781 4368 1536 Gigatonnes CO Gigatonnes 2013 2030 2040 Source: See OECD/IEA (2014): World Energy Outlook 2015. 2 Coal is the dirtiest way to generate electricity and storage (CCS) technology remains unproven as a fully integrated process. Effective capture technology has not Despite being dirty and inefficient, coal was still used to been developed and safe long-term storage on the scale generate 41 % of global electricity in 2013.6 In fact, coal necessary has not been demonstrated. It is hard to see how power stations are the world’s biggest emitters of CO2. CCS for coal would ever be able to compete on price with The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) ‘World Energy renewables, which are falling in cost every day.10 Outlook 2015’ figures for 2013 show that coal power Coal power stations also emit huge amounts of other stations account for 31 % of all CO2 emitted from burning pollution as well as CO2.
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