--- title: Germany to Bring Back Coal Power Plants If Russia Cuts Gas description: The government meanwhile is also calling for coal to be phased-out by 2030. canonical: https://time.com/6180579/germany-coal-power-russia/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2022-05-24T14:03:21.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T14:17:45.813Z article:section: Climate og:title: Germany to Bring Back Coal Power Plants If Russia Cuts Gas og:description: The government meanwhile is also calling for coal to be phased-out by 2030 og:url: https://time.com/6180579/germany-coal-power-russia/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b5612380418eca4/698a322ab21a9c13bb5060f7/germany-coal-power-russia-gas.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: GERMANY-ENERGY-COAL-ENVIRONMENT-RWE-CLIMATE og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Germany to Bring Back Coal Power Plants If Russia Cuts Gas twitter:description: The government meanwhile is also calling for coal to be phased-out by 2030 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b5612380418eca4/698a322ab21a9c13bb5060f7/germany-coal-power-russia-gas.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Germany to Bring Back Coal Power Plants If Russia Cuts Gas > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=a18bc8c8-6ff5-4822-9f7d-e1cdf58bd4cf&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=a18bc8c8-6ff5-4822-9f7d-e1cdf58bd4cf&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=a18bc8c8-6ff5-4822-9f7d-e1cdf58bd4cf&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [ARNE DELFS/BLOOMBERG](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## ARNE DELFS/BLOOMBERG Contributor May 24, 2022 2:03 PM UTC  Open-cast lignite mining is seen near the coal-fired power station Neurath of German energy giant RWE in Garzweiler, western Germany, on October 27, 2021. Open-cast lignite mining is seen near the coal-fired power station Neurath of German energy giant RWE in Garzweiler, western Germany, on October 27, 2021. INA FASSBENDER/AFP—Getty Images by [ARNE DELFS/BLOOMBERG](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## ARNE DELFS/BLOOMBERG Contributor May 24, 2022 2:03 PM UTC Germany plans to bring back coal- and oil-fired power plants should Russia cut off [natural gas](https://time.com/6153184/ukraine-crisis-scrambled-germanys-energy-politics/) shipments to Europe’s largest economy. Economy Minister Robert Habeck will on Tuesday present an emergency decree enabling the government to bring back the facilities in case of gas shortages, according to the proposed legislation seen by Bloomberg. [Germany](https://time.com/6172484/germany-russia-energy-gas/) is resorting to desperate measures to keep the lights on and its massive industrial parks running, [turning to dirty fuels](https://time.com/6154982/europe-russia-gas-climate-consequences/) even if that means a surge in carbon emissions. The nation has almost six gigawatts of facilities that are currently part of a national reserve, many of which were supposed to be closed down as part of the coal phase-out plan. “This request for additional coal-fired power generation only occurs when there is a gas shortage, or if there is a threat of a gas shortage and the gas consumption in power generation has to be reduced,” according to the proposed law. The decision comes even as Habeck’s [Greens](https://time.com/6124079/germany-government-green/)—part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s so-called traffic light coalition—want to bring forward to 2030\. The coal-phase out was initially planned for eight years later. “We must complete the phase-out of coal in Germany by 2030\. This is more important than ever in the current crisis,” according to the decree. “On the way there, we have to strengthen our precautions and keep coal-fired power plants in the reserves for longer in the short term.” German utilities had already said they could make plants available if needed. Uniper said it could dispatch as many as 3 gigawatts of coal power generation to strengthen security of supply, while RWE AG said it was reviewing which power plants could be turned back on. Germany currently has 4.3 gigawatts of coal plants and 1.6 gigawatts of oil facilities on reserve. Still, safeguarding energy supplies in Europe’s top buyer of Russian gas won’t be easy. The continent also relies on Russia for the vast majority of the thermal coal it imports to run the polluting power plants, many of which Germany had already committed to closing this year and the next. Europe buys two kinds of coal from Russia—thermal, burned by power plants, and metallurgical, used in steel making. The Russian share of the EU’s imports of thermal coal is almost 70%, with Germany and Poland particularly reliant. With so much of Europe’s fuel coming from Russia, European utilities will have to pay more to get coal from places like South Africa and Australia. Coal plants will be reactivated if Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens a gas cutoff, a government official said. That would trigger the second of a three-stage Germany’s gas emergency plan. The emergency decree would allow the government to activate the coal facilities without approval from parliament for up to six months. According to an internal list, 26 plants could be used in total. Fifteen of these are coal plants, 6 oil and 5 lignite, which will be put on a security alert. In five cases, German regulator Bundesetzagentur still has to determine the systemic relevance. Once this is granted, the plants will also become part of the reserve until March 31, 2024. —With assistance from Vanessa Dezem. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6180579/germany-coal-power-russia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6180579/germany-coal-power-russia/"},"headline":"Germany to Bring Back Coal Power Plants If Russia Cuts Gas","datePublished":"2022-05-24T14:03:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T14:17:45.813Z","description":"The government meanwhile is also calling for coal to be phased-out by 2030","url":"https://time.com/6180579/germany-coal-power-russia/","keywords":["energy","climate change","Germany","wire","healthscienceclimate","bloomberg wire","Climate Is Everything"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b5612380418eca4/698a322ab21a9c13bb5060f7/germany-coal-power-russia-gas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"ARNE DELFS/BLOOMBERG"}],"articleSection":"Climate","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9b5612380418eca4/698a322ab21a9c13bb5060f7/germany-coal-power-russia-gas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GERMANY-ENERGY-COAL-ENVIRONMENT-RWE-CLIMATE","caption":"GERMANY-ENERGY-COAL-ENVIRONMENT-RWE-CLIMATE","creditText":"INA FASSBENDER/AFP—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/climate/","name":"Climate"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/energy/","name":"energy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6180579/germany-coal-power-russia/","name":"Germany to Bring Back Coal Power Plants If Russia Cuts Gas"}}]}] ```