Extinguish the Coal Flame? The Impact of a Lignite and Hard Coal Phase-Out on the European Power System

Ongoing socio-political discussions surround the question on how to reach the ambitious European climate targets. Due to the high emission intensities, the phase-out of lignite and hard coal power plants as one possible measure, thus, often comes into focus throughout Europe. Hence, this paper investigates the impact of two different exit scenarios for coal power plants. The results show that a phase-out of lignite and hard coal power plants until the year 2040 leads to a saving of 4.7 billion tons CO
₂
whereas a rapid exit scenario until 2030 reduces CO
₂
emissions by 7 billion tons. This paper contributes to the controversial discussions around a coal phase-out in Europe and underlines its statement based on a fundamental approach.