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Düsseldorf (dpa) - The Düsseldorf energy group Uniper earned significantly more at the beginning of the year.
In addition to the strong energy trade, a higher electricity production from coal and gas also contributed, as Uniper reported on Thursday.
As a result, carbon dioxide emissions at Uniper increased significantly.
In Germany, the fossil fuel Uniper power plants release 3.7 million tons of CO2 in the first quarter of 2021, almost a third more than in the same period of the previous year.
Group-wide, CO2 emissions rose by 30 percent to 14.5 million tons.
Uniper put the Datteln 4 hard coal-fired power plant into operation at the end of May last year.
The Irsching 4 and 5 gas power plant units in Bavaria, which had been shut down for a long time, have also been back on the grid since October 2020.
Uniper also generated more electricity from coal in Great Britain and the Netherlands.
The new Uniper Chairman Klaus-Dieter Maubach justified the higher fossil power generation with the cold spring.
Across Germany, green electricity production fell from January to March.
Instead of 46 percent, as in the first quarter of 2020, it only covered 40 percent of electricity consumption, according to the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW).
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Maubach emphasized that Uniper is pursuing a clear decarbonization strategy. In the long run, no company could act economically successful against the general mood in society, he said in a conference call. The energy industry in particular has experienced this painfully over the past few decades. It is now clear: "The energy industry has understood, we have understood and learned from it." Uniper is already the third largest producer of CO2-free energy in Europe.
When asked what the planned stricter German climate protection targets could mean for Datteln 4, Maubach referred to the coal phase-out law.
This allows Uniper to operate the coal-fired power plant until 2038.
If a future government wants to take it up again, Uniper will not refuse an invitation to hold talks.
In response to the Federal Constitutional Court's climate share, the federal government wants to reduce CO2 emissions faster than previously planned.
Uniper's operating earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) climbed by a good 12 percent to 731 million euros in the first three months of the year.
The bottom line is that the Düsseldorf company has a surplus of 594 million euros, a fifth more than in the first quarter of 2020.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210506-99-492955 / 2
Quarterly statement Uniper