Coal at Vattenfall

Coal is important in Vattenfall’s electricity and heat production. In 2008, 46% of our electricity generation and 82% of our heat production was fossil-based; the predominant fossil fuels are lignite and hard coal. Vattenfall owns and operates lignite mines in eastern Germany, while hard coal is purchased.

In a majority of the countries where Vattenfall operates, security of supply cannot be guaranteed without coal-based energy generation. For example in Germany, almost half of the country’s electricity generation is coal-based (23% hard coal and 24.5% lignite), and plans to withdraw from nuclear power are making coal an even more essential source of base load power.

Vattenfall owns and operates lignite mines close to our lignite-fired power plants in the Lausitz region, in eastern Germany. Vattenfall is a major employer in this region, where lignite is the backbone of the industry and plays an essential role in the region’s economic development.

Vattenfall´s lignite mining is done in opencast mines that claim land areas. The impact on the landscape is considerable when the cast is open, but mining and re-cultivation of mined areas are two phases of the same operation. Re-cultivation planning starts during the early planning stages of mining. The interests of authorities and business as well as the concerns of the local community are taken into consideration in the early planning.

Vattenfall uses hard coal in its power plants in Germany, Poland and Denmark. When purchasing hard coal, Vattenfall places high demands on our suppliers in terms of adhering to the UN's Global Compact Principles. We are rigorous in ensuring that coal is mined as advantageously as possible. We are also interested in how the mines' local environments are impacted, which is why we regularly visit our coal suppliers.