GERMANY . LIGNITE
RWE of Germany has shelved plans to build a low-emissions lignite-fired power plant in the Rhineland region.
CEO Harry Roels said that he saw no guarantee of any investment safety, or even of a reasonable return, because of the issue of carbon credit emission trading and the threat that power producers see to the profitability of investment in fossil-fuelled new generation capacity.
The environment ministry is making plans to treat gas-fired plants more favourably than coal-fired plants. Roels said that if this came about “…we would not invest another euro in new coal-fired plants in Germany”.