A total of 15 coal- and lignite-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 4.4 GW were shut down in Germany over the Easter weekend. This includes the already-announced closure of RWE's five lignite-fired power plants at the Grevenbroich-Neurath and Bergheim-Niederaussem sites in the Rhineland (2.1 GW) and two 500 MW units (units E and F) at LEAG's Jänschwalder power plant in Brandenburg. In addition, the Federal Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection has announced the shutdown of eight additional coal-fired power plants, with a total capacity of 1.3 GW.
Germany plans to phase-out coal-fired power in its energy mix by 2030. As of end-2022, coal and lignite still represented 37 GW (16% of Germany's installed capacity) and 33% of its power generation with over 189 TWh. According to preliminary estimates, the share of coal-fired power plants fell to 26% in 2023.