RWE shares up on hopes for higher coal exit compensation

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BERLIN (Reuters) – Shares in RWE (RWEG.DE), Germany’s largest power producer, rose to the top of Germany’s blue-chip index on the prospect of higher compensation should coal-fired power stations be shut down early.

FILE PHOTO: The sun rises behind high-voltage power lines and electricity pylons in Wall near Warngau, Germany, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

A draft paper by Germany’s government-appointed coal commission, which is tasked with organizing the exit from coal, showed operators of coal-fired power stations should receive compensation for early closure but did not specify the size of payments.

The 133-page draft document, seen by Reuters, also includes plans to protect consumers and manufacturers from a potential rise in electricity prices as a result of the coal exit.

Shares in RWE were 4.6 percent higher at 1000 GMT, at the top of Germany’s blue-chip index.

The commission consisting of politicians, researchers and lobbyists is expected to adopt a more detailed version of the paper on Friday, when it will also decide on the shutdown date for the last coal-fired power plant Germany.

According to the draft, fees for the use of electricity grids should be reduced for both industry and private consumers and operators of coal-fired power stations should receive compensation for early closure.

“The Commission assumes that in the negotiations with the operators of lignite-fired power plants the entire planning period up to 2030 will be settled by mutual agreement.”

While no figures are mentioned, the commission suggests that the compensation for operators should be based on payments made for similar cases in the past. Utilities have already received around 600 million euros ($682.02 million) per gigawatt to idle plants and put them into a strategic reserve.

“The necessary funds must be made available by the state to finance the recommended measures. There will be no surcharge on electricity prices,” the paper says.

The entire phase-out is to be reviewed again in 2023, 2026 and 2029 with a view to security of supply, prices, climate protection and structural change.

($1 = 0.8797 euros)

Writing by Arno Schuetze and Christoph Steitz; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Michelle Martin

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