Sweden has become the third European country to eliminate coal from electricity production, after its last coal power plant permanently closed two years ahead of schedule last week.
Stockholm Exergi AB’s Värtaverket plant closed its coal-fired cogeneration plant, calling it “a milestone” for clean energy in Sweden, according to Euractiv.com.

“The coal-fired cogeneration plant KVV6 at Värtaverket has been in operation and supplied heat and electricity to Stockholmers since 1989. Now it is closed,” the company said in a statement dated 16 April.

Europe Beyond Coal, a green campaign group that keeps track of coal phase-out plans across Europe, celebrated the move, which came just after the closure of the last coal plant in Austria.

“With Sweden going coal free in the same week as Austria, the downward trajectory of coal in Europe is clear,” said Kathrin Gutmann, a green activist at Europe Beyond Coal. Austria last week announced it would permanently close its last coal-fired plant, which powered a district heating network in the municipality of Mellach, south of Graz.
Belgium was the first EU country to end coal, in 2016. With the Swedish and Austrian move, there are now three EU countries that have officially quit coal for residential heating and power generation.