Nuclear Plants in Germany Sit Idle as Coal use Grows by 13.5%

Nuclear Plants in Germany Sit Idle as Coal use Grows by 13.5%

by breakthrough@oilprice.com (Breakthrough Institute)

Coal use will rise an estimated 13.5 percent in Germany this year, resulting in at least 14 million metric tons of additional carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, even as the nation continues to idle two-fifths of its nuclear power fleet.The major reduction in European energy demand and industrial output caused by the global recession has led CO2 emissions to slide faster than the emissions reductions mandated by either the Emissions Trading Scheme or the EU's commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. Yet instead of accelerating emissions cuts, the ironic…