Germany Says It Can't Assure Czechs on Vattenfall Lignite Future
- CEZ made non-binding offer to buy German lignite operations
- German government considering phase-out scenarios for lignite
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Germany can’t guarantee how long lignite-fired power stations and mines being sold by Vattenfall AB will stay open, potentially crimping interest in a bid for the assets by Czech utility CEZ AS.
CEZ this week reiterated its interest in the assets in eastern Germany, pitching for German government assurances that it won’t phase out coal-fired electricity generation until as late as 2050. That’s a guarantee Germany can’t give, according to Franzjosef Schafhausen, the Environment Ministry’s Director-General for Climate Policy.