(Photo: dpa/ AFP)BERLIN: Germany will close its last black coal mine on Friday, a milestone marking the end of a 200-year-old industry that once fuelled the country's economic growth but lost the battle against cheaper foreign competitors. Today, most of the black coal, also known as hard coal, used in Germany's coal-fired power plants comes from Russia, the United States, Australia and Colombia. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government decided in 2007 to phase out state aid and shutter the last black coal mines by 2018 -- giving the workers of Prosper-Haniel 11 years' notice. To the dismay of environmentalists, Germany still has numerous open-pit mines that extract lignite or brown coal, which is softer, cheaper and more polluting than black coal. A government-appointed commission will in February announce a roadmap for exiting coal as part of efforts to make Germany carbon-neutral by 2050.

Source: Bangkok Post December 21, 2018 02:03 UTC