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Environment Spain1. February 2020

Spain Is Getting Rid of Coal Faster Than Anyone Expected

Spain had predicted that, until 2030, coal would still be used in its power plants to generate electricity. But it’s clear the nation may not need a whole decade to fight carbon emissions: it’s already reached a historic low in just one year!

Coal-powered thermal plants contributed less than 5% of electricity generation in Spain last year – an 85.6% drop from 2002 and the lowest ever recorded in a time frame significantly faster than the government predicted. The nation also managed to go five days without any coal-powered electricity at all.

Coal has been a main source of electricity for decades, but Spain has made a key start to letting go of this fossil fuel by ending coal mining operations last year. Since then, the country has been a lot less reliant on coal-fired power, dropping carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by 33.3% compared to the year before, according to Red Eléctrica de España.

Source:
EL PAÍS

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