Coal | Uniper

Some of Uniper’s deepest roots are in countries that once had abundant coal reserves. They used them. To make steel, to generate electricity, to fuel prosperity. We’ve operated some of Europe’s biggest and best coal-fired power stations — like Ratcliffe-on-Soar, a 2 GW plant in central England that has been powering up to 2 million homes for more than half a century.

The coal era — in Western Europe at least — is nearly past. Uniper is leading the way. Implementing the coal phase out for our coal fleet by 2029 will be the first step towards achieving carbon neutrality across our business by 2040.

From grey to green

We’ll have closed 5.8 GW of coal plants across Europe through 2024. But quitting coal doesn’t mean quitting communities. We intend to ensure the viability of these facilities — and safeguard as many jobs as possible — in a low-carbon world. We’ll convert some to gas, which we’ve already done at Scholven in west-central Germany, and repurpose others for hydrogen production and import. Below you’ll find information about our plans for transforming our coal sites from grey to green.

Our other energy sources

Greener Gases: Ensuring security of supply and sustainability

Natural gas will remain critical for ensuring Europe's security of supply for years to come. A diverse, flexible and sustainable supply needs to include more and more green gas going forward.

More about gas

Uniper engineer at work at a gas power station in Öresundsverket, Sweden

Hydro power - clean electricity from water

We’ve been producing zero-carbon power for over 125 years. Our first hydro plant, Höllriegelskreuth in southeast Germany, entered service in 1894.Today, we have 2 GW of hydro capacity in Germany. We also have 1.6 GW in Sweden.

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Wind and Solar - making our power portfolio even greener

In the past, Europe’s renewables growth was fueled almost entirely by subsidies. That has changed. In many countries wind and solar have achieved grid parity; that is, they can produce electricity at roughly the same cost as or less than other sources like gas.

More about wind and solar

Image of solar panels in the foreground and wind turbines in the background

Hydrogen - the key to decarbonizing industry

Companies and communities across Europe have embarked on a decarbonization journey. Low- and zero-carbon hydrogen can make this journey possible. It can power vehicles, locomotives, and ships.

More about hydrogen

Nuclear - zero-carbon mainstay of Northern Europe

In the beginning of 2023, Germany’s remaining nuclear power plants split their last atoms. In Northern Europe, by contrast, nuclear energy is far less controversial. Uniper has 1.4 GW of attributable nuclear capacity in Sweden, which relies on nuclear energy for about 40% of its electricity.

More about nuclear

Uniper engineer working at a nuclear power plant at OKG, Sweden

Coal - making a fast exit

Some of Uniper’s deepest roots are in countries that had abundant coal reserves. They used them. To make steel, to generate electricity, to fuel prosperity. We’ve operated some of Europe’s biggest and best coal-fired power stations

More about coal

Uniper engineer inspecting a valve a plant in Maasvlakte

Coal: making a fast exit