Germany’s “Coal Commission": Guiding an Inclusive Coal Phase-Out

The document examines the 2018 establishment of Germany's "Coal Commission," which aimed to balance climate goals with a just transition for workers and coal-dependent regions. The commission proposed ending coal-fired power by 2038, supported by an estimated 69 billion to 93 billion euros in measures, including a 40 billion euro investment in affected regions. While praised for its multi-stakeholder approach and clear mandate, the plan faced criticism from NGOs for lacking ambition and providing excessive compensation to power plant operators.

• The Coal Commission proposed a timeline to end coal-fired power generation by 2038, targeting a maximum of 30 GW of capacity by 2022 and 17 GW by 2030, while increasing renewable electricity generation to 65% of gross consumption by 2030 and 80% by 2050.
• The financial cost of the commission's recommended measures is estimated between 69 billion and 93 billion euros. This includes 5 billion to 7 billion euros for worker support (such as early retirement for those aged 58+), 16 billion to 32 billion euros to stabilize electricity prices for consumers, and 5 billion to 10 billion euros for power plant decommissioning.
• To support regional economic diversification, the German federal cabinet passed the Structural Reinforcement Bill in August 2019, allocating 40 billion euros through 2038. Of this, 26 billion euros are provided via federal programs and 14 billion euros are designated for projects in Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and North Rhine-Westphalia.
• The phase-out process has been criticized by environmental NGOs and youth movements, such as Fridays for Future and Greenpeace, for being too slow to meet Paris Agreement goals and for providing controversial financial concessions to operators like RWE (2.6 billion euros) and LEAG (1.75 billion euros).

APA

World Resources Institute (2021). Germany’s “Coal Commission": Guiding an Inclusive Coal Phase-Out. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/germanys-coal-commission-guiding-inclusive-coal-phase-out

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Germany’s “Coal Commission": Guiding an Inclusive Coal Phase-Out. 2021. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/germanys-coal-commission-guiding-inclusive-coal-phase-out.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Germany’s “Coal Commission": Guiding an Inclusive Coal Phase-Out |date=1 April 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/snapshots/germanys-coal-commission-guiding-inclusive-coal-phase-out |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2021germanys, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Germany’s “Coal Commission": Guiding an Inclusive Coal Phase-Out}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.wri.org/snapshots/germanys-coal-commission-guiding-inclusive-coal-phase-out}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }