Coal
Vattenfall's goal is to be fossil-free within one generation and reach net zero by 2040.
We have phased out a very large proportion of coal as a fuel, followed by natural gas
An important part of Vattenfall's strategy is to reduce our own carbon dioxide emissions. We are investing in expanding renewable generation, primarily wind and solar power, while helping our customers and suppliers to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by offering them climate-smart solutions.
The first major step we took to phase coal out from our operations was to sell the German lignite operations in 2016. This resulted in a reduction of Vattenfall's annual carbon dioxide emissions from over 80 million tonnes to about 23 million tonnes, while freeing up resources to strengthen our investment in renewables. Today, we no longer use lignite in our operations.
In 2019, our last coal-fired power plant in the Netherlands, Hemweg 8 near Amsterdam, as well as the coal plant Reuter C in Berlin were shut down. The district heating operations in Hamburg was handed over to the City of Hamburg in 2019, as the City decided to repurchase its heat operations from Vattenfall, including a few coal-fired thermal power plants.
At the end of 2020, the Moorburg CHP plant in Hamburg stopped its commercial production based on hard coal earlier than planned. The plant was kept in reserve for potential grid stabilisation until 30 June 2021 but was closed down completely thereafter. It was divested in 2023.
The next step in reducing Vattenfall's carbon dioxide emissions will be to phase out hard coal, today only used in our heat operations in Berlin. Together with the city of Berlin, Vattenfall has developed a plan for phasing out hard coal, still used in two coal-fired Combined Heat & Power plants in the city, by 2030.
Currently Vattenfall owns and operates two coal-fired Combined Heat & Power plants in Berlin in Germany:
- Reuter West
- Biomass co-fired Moabit
Coal sourcing
Vattenfall has implemented a risk screening process to make a sound and fact-based decision on whether to buy coal from a supplier or not.
Some examples of Vattenfall's activities towards achieving climate neutrality
As part of the transformation towards climate neutrality, Vattenfall is working actively to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from our generation. The vast majority of Vattenfall's carbon dioxide emissions come from our heat operations, primarily in Berlin.
In collaboration with the city of Berlin, we are replacing coal-fired power plants with modern gas thermal power plants or with plants that use biomass and waste as fuel. Through a number of measures, Vattenfall has succeeded in halving its carbon dioxide emissions since 1990 and in 2017, three years earlier than anticipated, has reached the targets stipulated in a climate agreement with the city of Berlin in 2009. The coal exit in Berlin is feasible by 2030 at the latest.
In 2019, the hard coal fired thermal power plant Reuter C was decommissioned and Europe’s largest power-to-heat plant taken into operation at the nearby Reuter West site. This allows the integration of renewable energy sources into the district heating system, as electricity from wind is used to generate heat to be fed into the district heating network.
Related content
Renewable energy, like wind power, is the key to reducing global CO2 emissions.
Nuclear power generation plays a key role in supporting the energy transition.
Hydro power is economically attractive and has low levels of CO2 emissions.
