Europe back to coal. With acute power shortages, most of the EU faces significant challenges in transitioning from gas to coal, especially when Russia has begun reducing gas supplies, according to Business Insider.

Germany is an exception to the rule, as many of its coal-fired power plants have not been decommissioned.

While the rest of Europe is preparing for a hard and harsh winter with heating shortages for offices and apartments, Germany has remembered the cheap and dirty source of energy – coal – to provide enough heat before the cold weather arrives.

According to Rystad Energy, this year Germany increased its coal-fired power generation more than any other country in Europe – by 18.2%, indicating an accelerated transition to an alternative fuel source.

Coal in European history has played an important role, but before the recent events, all developed countries tried to abandon it. And today, in addition to Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Italy are also considering reusing coal, but for other European countries switching to coal may prove much more difficult.

There is one obvious problem in the way of this bold plan, though: record-low water levels in the Rhine River, which carries goods such as coal, chemicals, and grain. The Rhine has shrunk due to a severe heat wave, leading the government to worry about possible coal shortages due to reduced inland navigation on the river.

But even with this problem solved, according to the International Energy Agency, the global energy market will be “extremely tight” in the third and fourth quarters of this year due to restrictions on energy imports from Russia, which means we need to prepare for a very harsh winter and look for other alternatives.

Earlier we reported that experts predicted an increase in the price of French fries and chips in Europe due to drought.