Recent years have seen a considerable number of coal plant closures, as European countries have implemented the Large Combustion Plant Directive and Industrial Emissions Directives.

Further restrictions will continue to put downward pressure on coal generation, however the rate and scale of decline will be affected by a whole range of issues.

Under RED II, coal to biomass conversions could become a short, medium or even long term solution, depending on each country’s renewable energy policy, targets and forecasted renewable energy generation.

In a webinar on 2 July 2020, Pedro Campilho and Helge Barlen discussed:

• the future prospects for coal generation across all EU countries out to 2040;
• how far each European country is from their 2030 renewable energy targets and other commitments;
• the current and foreseeable renewable energy capacity (i.e. intermittent sources vs. flexible generation) and increasing need for flexibility;
• the indicative power generation for coal to biomass conversions operating under different patterns (e.g. peak/seasonal, baseload) and sourcing; and
• the key factors for success in coal to biomass conversions, and the pros and cons for specific viable conversions.

The slide pack and recording are available on afry.com External link, opens in new window. or in our Insights - exclusive to AIM report clients.