The goal of dramatically reduced CO2 emissions and that of a climate-neutral Berlin can hardly be achieved without modernising heat generation plants. Fuels used in these plants are a major source of pollutants being discharged into the air.
The Federal Immissions Control Law (BImSchG) stipulates that operators of firing plants subject to licensing must submit emission statements regularly. These must include a list of their “emission relevant materials handled”, i.e. fuels such as coal or gas.
There are 78 (cogeneration) plants and heating plants subject to licensing, each with a thermal output of more than 20 megawatts (as of 2016) in the State of Berlin. The corresponding map displays these facilities; together, they used some 4.4 million tonnes of fuels in 2016. Most of these were hard coal, brown coal and natural gas.
Furthermore, there are many facilities that are subject to the German Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Law (TEHG). It regulates EU-wide trading in emission certificates, an important European instrument for reducing CO2 emissions. A separate map of the Environmental Atlas indicates which plants in Berlin are subject to the TEHG and their annual emissions.
