16/01/2020 (Agence Europe) – Germany's government and regional leaders have agreed on a plan to phase out lignite, or brown coal, power stations by 2038, with around €40 billion in aid to the regions concerned, Germany's Federal Minister of Economics and Energy, Peter Altmaier, announced on Thursday 16 January. This decision is part of the German government's commitment to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to their levels in the 1990s. Berlin further stated that reviews will be carried out in 2026 and 2029 to determine whether Germany can withdraw from coal-fired power generation in 2035, 3 years before the deadline. For the agreement between the government and the regions and an overview of the closure schedule (in German): https://bit.ly/2FUImZR; https://bit.ly/370yrOu (DG)