Germany sticks to 2030 coal exit target amid energy worries

BERLIN (AP) — The German government says it remains committed to its goal of phasing out coal as a power source by 2030, despite deepening worries about a cut in Russia’s gas supplies. Russia’s Gazprom announced last week that it was sharply reducing supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany for what it said were technical reasons. The German government says the move appears politically motivated. On Sunday, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Germany will try to compensate by allowing increased burning of coal, a more polluting fossil fuel. Habeck, a member of the Green party, said the move was “bitter” but “simply necessary.” A spokesman for his ministry said Monday that the 2030 target “isn’t wobbling at all.”