Using coal-fired power stations to keep prices down and conserve gas storage facilities

    • Hard coal fulfils its important back-up role – last winter and this winter
    • Global market for hard coal remains stable – without geopolitical disruptions
    • CCU/CCS retrofitting for modern hard coal-fired power stations an alternative to closure

The Association of Coal Importers (VDKi) looks back on an acceptable year in 2025. Both last winter (24/25) and this winter, hard coal-fired power stations are providing reliable backup to keep Germany's electricity grids stable. In contrast to lignite, consumption of imported hard coal remained stable in 2025, with an upward trend. Hard coal imports for power plants rose slightly compared to the previous year, up 15% to nearly 15 million tonnes. Imports of coking coal for steel production, on the other hand, fell by around 10% to around 11 million tonnes. One reason for this was the poor economic situation on the German steel market.

Furthermore, coal-fired power stations were used more intensively, as there were also periods in the summer of 2025 when renewable energies such as photovoltaics and wind power were less readily available.

The coalition agreement of the new federal government stipulates that coal-fired reserve power stations can be used to mitigate price spikes. Against this backdrop, the VDKi wonders why the coalition decision has not already been implemented.

In addition, according to the Federal Network Agency, the current fill level of German gas storage facilities is now below 40%. This is significantly lower than a year ago, when it was over 70%. VDKi Chairman Alexander Bethe: ‘Why are coal-fired reserve power plants not being used more? To curb prices and conserve gas storage facilities.’

The VDKi has repeatedly pointed out that, when considering total emissions (in the case of gas, this is mainly methane, which is 80 times more harmful to the environment than CO2), there are only minor differences between gas and hard coal. Alexander Bethe: “Why are these two fossil fuels treated so differently?”.

Despite major geopolitical challenges, global trade in coal proceeded largely without complications. Hard coal for German power stations was imported mainly from the United States, South Africa and Colombia. Coking coal for the steel industry came mainly from Australia.

The VDKi would like to once again expressly advocate equipping the fleet of modern hard coal-fired power plants with CCU/CCS systems. This would enable climate-neutral back-up operation.

The captured CO2 could be transported by tanker to neighbouring countries and then injected into depleted gas reservoirs under the North Sea.
Retrofitting modern coal-fired power stations with CCU/CCS technology would also be more cost-effective than building new gas-fired power stations, whose carbon footprint would be worse than that of retrofitted coal-fired power stations.

In view of the many geopolitical hotspots such as South America and the Middle East, Alexander Bethe, Chairman of the VDKi, concludes: "Without the hard coal backup, energy security in Germany would be somewhat less secure. Global trade in hard coal is less influenced by geopolitical events. Hard coal is widely available and can be sourced from many regions of the world."

Berlin, 23rd January 2026

Responsible for content: Association of Coal Importers, Jürgen Osterhage, Manging Director