Agency Report –
The German Economy Ministry on Wednesday contradicted claims by US President Donald Trump that portrayed Germany as a model for restoring coal power plants.
Germany will phase out coal by 2038, a ministry spokeswoman said in Berlin. “New coal plants are not being built. Instead, 18 coal plants were shut down in 2024.”
The comments came after Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to boost “America’s beautiful clean coal industry,” directing federal agencies to roll back regulations that limit coal mining and exports.
Speaking at a White House event alongside coal miners, Trump said lifting restrictions would ensure older coal plants stay online, claiming the energy is needed to power artificial intelligence data centres.
Trump also referenced Germany as a model for coal use, incorrectly stating that new coal plants are being opened across the country.
Germany “went so green they almost went out of business,” Trump said, claiming that the country had switched to wind, which “wasn’t blowing too much,” and eventually returned to coal.
In reality, Germany’s last new coal plant was commissioned in 2020. The country has committed to phasing out coal entirely by 2038, with a potential earlier exit by 2030.
Coal is widely considered the most polluting fossil fuel. At the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai in 2023, world leaders agreed for the first time to transition away from coal, oil and gas.
Trump’s move comes less than a year after former president Joe Biden declared at the 2024 UN climate summit in Baku that the clean energy revolution was irreversible.
By Thomas Müller and Martina Herzog
