Only a small portion of Berlin’s 1.9 million houses, about 5-6,000, are still heated with coal, according to municipal officials.
Highlights –
- The CEO of Berlin’s century-old Hans Engelke Energie argues that it has brought a lagniappe for his family business.
- According to authorities, 5,000 of Berlin’s 1.9 million homes are still primarily heated with coal.
- The 55-year-old man loads 25 kilograms (55 pounds) bags of precious black briquettes into his trailer.
Frithjof Engelke, a provider of the briquettes that have become a popular item in the German capital, says “A rush like this in the summertime, it’s unheard of ā everyone wants coal.”
Despite its sooty byproducts and significant carbon footprint, excitement for this method of heating private houses has been revived by a looming shortage of Russian gas in the aftermath of the Ukraine crisis.
Engelke, 46, the CEO of the century-old Hans Engelke Energie company in Berlin, claims it has delivered a lagniappe for his family firm. My leaves must remain, she said.
He and his platoon are frantically processing orders, planning truck deliveries, which are now reserved until October, and preparing inventory for those who come to his warehouse to pick up coal on their own.
In the dust and commotion from his filling machine on a steamy summer day, he weighs and packages loose coal. He also organizes the packages on pallets for waiting visitors.
According to outside officials, 5,000 of Berlin’s 1.9 million houses still use coal as their primary source of heating.
Senior citizens who occasionally rely only on coal and inhabit outdated homes that have never been restored are regularly Engelke’s visitors.
Engelke, whose medium-sized business has also moved into wood bullets and energy oil painting, claims that this time, new visitors have “arrived Encase”.
As downtime approaches in Germany
He cited a miracle occurring in all of Germany as downtime approaches: “Those who toast with gas but who still have a cookstove at home now all want to have coal.”
One of the converts is Jean Blum, who says, “Better than being chilly.”
The 55-year-old guy packs 25 kilograms (55 pounds) bags of priceless black briquettes into his trailer. He has unkempt brown hair and a bushy white beard.
For the first time in a long time, he says to AFP, “I am purchasing coal.”
He periodically lights his cookstove with wood because his house has gas heating, but only on occasion.
Blum wants to make sure he has a safety net due to the increase in petrol costs, which will be made worse this afterlife when drivers will be able to pass on the increase in energy impositions to the customer.
Even if it’s harmful to your health, he asserts, it’s still preferable to being chilly.
Coal is still less costly
Despite a 30% increase this season, coal is still less expensive than wood, whose cost has more than doubled.
He continues, “I worry when I wonder whether there will be enough gas for everyone,” recalling that Russian President Vladimir Putin previously partially stopped the gas valve on Germany when Western nations assessed fresh penalties on Moscow.
To honor the significant Favours of many diligences, the German government had already decided to enhance the usage of coal-fueled power plants.
Berlin, however, adamantly rejects a “belle epoque of fossil fuels, in particular coal,” as recently declared by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and vows it will uphold its commitment to phase out the highly polluting energy source by 2030.
The product is still having a hard time keeping up with the influx of new private visitors, and many tiny coal retailers in the city are running out of stock.
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