By Marcus Wacket
BERLIN, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Free Democrats, who are negotiating to form a new government, have agreed to commit to a coal phase-out by 2030 in a coalition deal, sources involved in the talks told Reuters on Tuesday.
The three parties are in the final stages of clinching a coalition agreement and hope to present the deal on Wednesday, one source close to the talks said.
Climate policy is one of the closest-watched areas for the new government as Europe’s biggest economy shifts towards carbon neutrality.
The three parties have also agreed to end power generation from gas by 2040, sources involved in the coalition talks told Reuters. In addition, gas heating systems would be banned in new buildings and replaced in existing buildings, they said.
The parties also want to allow “blue” hydrogen, or the production of hydrogen using natural gas with CO2 emissions captured in underground or subsea storage.
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