Munich Coal Exit 2022
In this position paper, the alliance made it clear that:
The HKW München Nord coal-fired power plant can be decommissioned in 2022, even though it is classified as a systemically relevant utility by the Federal Network Agency. In its position paper, the Alliance calls for seven necessary steps, which include:
- an immediate reduction in coal burning
- the expansion of geothermal energy and
- the modernization of the district heating network
The HKW München Nord only has to be kept operational as a redundant back-up system for the power and heat supply. As a result, the CO2 and pollutant emissions can be almost completely reduced. At the request of the public and the media, this was confirmed by the public utility company Stadtwerke. According to the Alliance, this is opposing previously stated statements, meanwhile satisfying that the Coal Exit can be carried out with minimal consequences and negative impact on the energy supply.
Although this solution will come with a cost for the city, this cannot be an obstacle for the planned implementation, according to the Alliance “Get out of the hard coal”. Alliance spokesman Michael Schabl and member organizations Environmental Institute Munich and Green City point out that it is normal for decisions made through democratic processes to cost money. This was for instance the case with the construction of the Petuel Tunnel, which was also brought about by a referendum.
In the referendum decision “Exiting Coal based Heat & Energy” from 2017, a majority of 60 percent of the voters in Munich had voted and recommended that the coal power plant should be shut down by 2022 at the latest.
Access Cities Munich is happy to assist Danish stakeholders, who are interested in knowing more about the business opportunities within district heating in Munich.