Germany plans to abandon coal in the near future.

Coal is currently the main component of the German energy sector. But in 2018 renewable energy sources provided more energy in this country than he did.

On January 26, the German commission, consisting of federal and state leaders, as well as representatives of industry, ecologists and scientists, agreed with the proposal to close all coal-fired power plants remaining in Germany until 2038. The plan includes a subsidy of 40 billion euros for the German regions dependent on coal. It is proposed to eliminate coal in 19 years.

This proposal is expected to be accepted by Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The closure will be compensated in the form of state aid, which will be directed to the regions in which coal is most in demand. According to the Fraunhofer Institute, last year he provided the country with 38 percent of its energy. The country is located next to significant reserves of cheap brown coal.

Germany is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint, and last year renewable energy surpassed coal for the first time as part of the country's energy mix. Solar, wind, hydropower and biomass resources together produced 40 percent of German energy.

Without coal, the country will be much more likely to use renewable energy sources, and the Los Angeles Times states that the plan envisages that by 2040, 65 to 80 percent of the country's energy will come from renewable energy sources. After the Fukushima disaster, Germany pledged to shut down its nuclear power plants by 2022, so the source of low-carbon electricity will not be available for the country inside the country.

The rest of the country's energy will presumably come from natural gas. On Monday, the Norwegian oil and gas lobby said that the German proposal should encourage Norwegian companies to invest more in gas. Gas will also presumably arrive in Germany through the Russian Nord Stream , which is currently under development.

The withdrawal of coal from Germany requires aggressive actions from now until 2038. According to the LA Times, about 24 coal-fired power plants will have to be closed from now until 2022. By 2030, eight coal-fired power plants should remain in Germany, which together will produce 17 GW of electricity. According to the cited information, the planned phase out date should be reviewed every three years, and Germany may speed up the phase out date by 2035 if it considers it appropriate.