Back in 2009 I shared the following comments from Sigmar Gabriel, then German energy minister:
Germany’s environment minister Sigmar Gabriel (Social Democratic Party) is pushing for the construction of new coal-fired power plants in Germany. “We need eight to twelve new coal plants if we want to get out of nuclear energy,” Gabriel said on Friday at a meeting of the Mainz-Wiesbaden AG (KMW) in Mainz. With regard to the opponents of the planned coal-fired power in Mainz, the minister said: “Those who demonstrate against coal-fired power will get nuclear power plants instead.” Gabriel said, the decision about which power plants are built is the responsibility of companies and not politics. He added that new coal power plants would not increase carbon dioxide emissions.First of all, old plants would be closed. In additon, the emissions trading scheme would limit the level of emissions. “You can build 100 coal-fired power plants and don’t have to have higher CO2 emissions,” said the environment minister.
Renewable energies would not be able to close the gap in energy supply that will arise due to the shutdown of nuclear power plants by 2020, said Gabriel. Even gas-fired power plants are not a real alternative because their power generation is expensive and thus not competitive for the energy supply of industrial production.
I had a bit of fun with the highlighted quote. 100 coal-fired plants and no higher CO2? Magic!
Yesterday, the current German environmental minister provides us with an updated and equally absurd quote:
But why shutdown the nukes in the first place?Expecting a tsunami anytime real soon?
“You can build 100 coal-fired power plants and don’t have to have higher CO2 emissions,” he said.
The Germans must have developed carbon-free coal. Just blend it with the dehydrated water and you have a carbon-free non-liquid fuel for the new renewable power plants that produce no waste heat. Phlogiston, anyone? /sarc
“dehydrated water”
Good one, tad!