Scandinavia’s biggest utility last year announced plans to divest roughly 9,000 megawatt (MW) worth of lignite-fired plants in eastern Germany, responding to mounting writedowns on past acquisitions that pushed it deep into loss. The company, which posted an after-tax loss of SEK 8.3 billion ($989 million) for 2014, has said it aims to complete a deal this year. The major stumbling block to Vattenfall’s sale proposal is political uncertainty about the government’s plan to slap a new levy on carbon emissions that looks set to drive older coal-fired plants out of the power market.

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