Germany's Cabinet Backs Roadmap to End Fossil Fuel Use by 2045

Germany's cabinet on Wednesday approved a national roadmap to phase out coal, oil and gas by 2045, reaffirming a climate strategy built around electrification.

An environment ministry spokesperson said the plan would be presented at the United Nations General Assembly in New York later in the day. With its adoption, Germany becomes the third country, after France and the Netherlands, to put forward a national roadmap under an international effort to move away from fossil fuels.

Under the plan, Germany will examine whether its agreed deadline to end coal-fired power generation by 2038 can be moved forward to 2035.

In transport, the roadmap anticipates that EU fleet emissions rules will result in battery-electric cars accounting for 100% of new passenger car registrations by 2035. That position runs counter to calls from some conservatives, including Economy Minister Katherina Reiche, for a larger role for combustion-engine vehicles running on alternative fuels.

For buildings, heat pumps are expected to become Germany's dominant heating system in the coming years. Oil and gas boilers using rising shares of climate-neutral fuels are referenced only as part of the transition.

The strategy thus keeps electrification at its centre even as a minister has sought more flexibility on cars, heating and carbon pricing.