A German 2030 exit will isolate remaining EU coal power polluters

The EU is rapidly phasing out coal, with planned electricity generation from coal expected to fall by 83% between 2015 and 2030. However, Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria are transitioning much more slowly, and are projected to be responsible for over 95% of the EU's planned coal-generated electricity in 2030.

• The EU is significantly accelerating its coal phase-out; planned electricity generation from coal in 2030 has decreased by more than 58% in less than two years since the submission of National Energy & Climate Plans. This reduction is expected to avoid an additional 89-152 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2030.
• By 2030, three countries—Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria—will account for over 95% of the EU's planned electricity generation from coal, with Poland responsible for 63%, Czechia for 18%, and Bulgaria for 14%. While the rest of the EU-27 is projected to reduce coal power output by 99% between 2015 and 2030, these three countries are offering a combined decline of only 42%.
• Poland's transition is particularly slow; it generated 70% of its electricity from coal in 2020 and has confirmed a coal exit by 2049, which is only one year before the EU's climate neutrality deadline.
• Czechia and Bulgaria have also set phase-out dates far beyond 2030. Czechia's coal commission recommended a phase-out in 2038, though a new government aims for a date before 2038. Bulgaria's draft National Recovery and Resilience Plan submitted on 15 October 2021 suggests a phase-out in 2038 or 2040.

APA

Ember (2021). A German 2030 exit will isolate remaining EU coal power polluters. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2021/12/English-Remaining-EU-Coal-Power-Polluters.pdf

Chicago

Ember. A German 2030 exit will isolate remaining EU coal power polluters. 2021. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2021/12/English-Remaining-EU-Coal-Power-Polluters.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=A German 2030 exit will isolate remaining EU coal power polluters |date=November 2021 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2021/12/English-Remaining-EU-Coal-Power-Polluters.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2021german, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{A German 2030 exit will isolate remaining EU coal power polluters}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2021/12/English-Remaining-EU-Coal-Power-Polluters.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }