Portugal became the fourth country in the European Union to shut down its last remaining coal plant, effectively ending the use of the polluting material for electricity generation.
The Pego facility in central Portugal was the country’s second-largest carbon dioxide emitter. The environmental group Zero stated that freeing themselves from the largest source of greenhouse emissions was a significant day for Portugal.
The move comes nine years before the deadline of Portugal’s goal to eliminate fossil fuel usage by 2030.
Belgium, Austria and Sweden are the other three European countries that have already phased out coal-fired power plants.
Despite the fact that renewable energy accounts for 60-70 percent of Portugal’s power, the country relied significantly on imported fossil fuels to cover its overall energy demands.
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