Coal phase-out

Twenty-five countries at the COP29 climate summit Wednesday pledged not to build any new unabated coal-power plants, in a push to accelerate the phaseout of the highly polluting fossil fuel.

The United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and major coal producer Australia were among the list of mainly wealthy developed economies to sign the voluntary pledge in Azerbaijan.

Turkey has spent eight of the first nine months of 2024 as Europe's largest producer of coal-fired electricity, overtaking Germany and Poland as it cranked coal burning for power.

Turkey generated a record 88 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity from coal during January through September, according to energy think tank Ember, which was 2% more than during the same period in 2023.

Bulgaria has committed to phasing out coal by 2038, a reminder included in the European Commission's annual report on energy across the EU and individual member states. The report highlights that through the Just Transition Fund, Bulgaria could access 1.12 billion euros to support the social and economic impacts of closing coal plants in Kyustendil, Pernik, and Stara Zagora.

G7 energy and climate ministers agreed a timeframe Tuesday for phasing out coal-fired power plants, setting a goal in the mid-2030s, in a move hailed as significant by some environmentalists but described as "too late" by others.

Bulgaria's Minister of Environment and Water, Julian Popov, has affirmed the country's commitment to phasing out coal-fired power plants, emphasizing that the transition will be market-driven rather than state-mandated. Minister Popov stated that the market forces are currently leading the closure of such plants and predicted that there is no viable future for them beyond 2030.

Bulgaria embarks on a green revolution with the European Commission's endorsement of the country's Territorial Just Transition Plans (TJTPs), marking a monumental stride toward sustainable development. The European Union's Just Transition Fund (JTF) is set to infuse Bulgaria with EUR 1.2 billion, earmarked to empower regions grappling with coal phase-outs and CO2 emission cuts.

The Netherlands said it would lift all restrictions on power stations fired by fossil fuel

The Dutch have joined Germany and Austria in reverting to coal power following an energy crisis provoked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.    

The Netherlands said it would lift all restrictions on power stations fired by the fossil fuel, which were previously limited to just over a third of output.    

China is promoting coal-fired power as the ruling Communist Party tries to revive a sluggish economy, prompting warnings Beijing is setting back efforts to cut climate-changing carbon emissions from the biggest global source.

Ljubljana – The government has decided that Slovenia will join the Powering Past Coal Alliance as part of the Energy Day at the COP26 conference in Glasgow on Thursday, dedicated to enhancing global energy transition, and will also sign a statement of public support for the clean energy transition.