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France to restart coal power station to avoid energy shortage

The French Government adopted an article that will permit the country to temporarily open the coal-fired power station ahead of the winter season to avoid an energy shortage.

Over 200 deputies voted in favor of the article, while 66 voted against it, citing the fact that restarting coal-fired power plants would mean resuming the operation of the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. "We are talking about 1% of electricity production", commented the Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, stressing that it "is a question of dealing with a risk of gas overpressure of Russian origin".

"If Saint-Avold is not relaunched, we will be entitled to massive power cuts or we will import German electricity at a high cost, which will be even more polluting because it is based on lignite," said a member of the National Rally Alexandre Loubet.