
Germany is first major economy to phase out coal and nuclear - doener
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/germany-finalizing-plan-phase-coal-energy-71591216?cid=clicksource_4380645_13_hero_headlines_headlines_hed
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thu2111
Absurdly terrible reporting.

Headline: _Germany is first major economy to phase out coal and nuclear_

Present tense. It's already happened.

Reality:

 _Bills approved by both houses of parliament Friday envision shutting down
the last coal-fired power plant by 2038_

Target of 2038.

Also reality:

[http://www.powerstations.uk/coal-
countdown/](http://www.powerstations.uk/coal-countdown/)

UK on track to shut down last coal power station by 2025, more than a decade
earlier than Germany's target and only five years from now. There are only 4
left today so that's a shutdown of about one per year. This is not a
legislative goal but rather an engineering reality of those plants reaching
their max lifetime.

The UK already goes long periods without burning any coal at all:

[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/28/britain-
bre...](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/apr/28/britain-breaks-
record-for-coal-free-power-generation)

But sure, Germany is the first major economy. Whatever, ABC News.

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shadowprofile77
By all practical measurements of safety and cleanliness, nuclear is
extraordinarily clean, safe energy yet it keeps being attacked ferociously and
without good reasoning. It's tiresome to see when one considers just how much
potential it has in terms of usable fuel supplies and possible near future
innovations.

~~~
tommyage
I kind of agree with you, wind energy on land influences our ecosystem more
than nuclear energy - nonetheless there is more tangible pollution by nuclear
power plants. Additionally one (parliament) may has to justify a power plant
since there is a responsibility to neighbouring countries and the ecosystem.
Nuclear energy _always_ implies a risk. The demand on energy is always
increasing and such a power plant works in proportions which are not
conceivable for us citiziens.

I am proud of my nation: We shifted our values - we rated our ecosystem higher
than competitive advantages.

~~~
DarthGhandi
> nonetheless there is more tangible pollution by nuclear power plants

I'm struggling to see this. Do you mean uranium mining?

The pollution associated with the rare Earth metals to build a turbine is a
magnitude greater.

~~~
tommyage
I am referring to the waste associated with the operation of the power plant
as such. There is propably a break even point in terms of pollution where
nuclear power plants fail in comparsion to alternative power sources.

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melling
“ Bills approved by both houses of parliament Friday envision shutting down
the last coal-fired power plant by 2038 ”

~~~
neximo64
"This can be the next governments problem"

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rasz
>first major economy to phase out coal

just after we strip mine this ancient forest over there
[https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2018-hambach-
forest/](https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2018-hambach-forest/)

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ehvatum
Power in Germany costs 3-6x more than I pay in St. Louis, depending on time of
year. Russian natural gas is expensive.

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neximo64
We wills top killing animals for their meat, by 2135, so we can all chill out
now.

