Around 40 percent of the world's generated energy is produced from coal. According to predictions by the IEA, energy production will rise to approximately 33,000 TWh by the year 2030, in spite of advances in the efficiency of energy usage (2006: 19,000 TWh). Due to its large reserves, numerous supplier countries and relatively low fuel costs, coal will be significantly involved in this increase and thus will make an important contribution to safe and cost-effective energy provision.

The major part of electricity generated from coal at E.ON is allotted to coal power plants that boasted an added output capacity of 22.4 GW in 2009. Alongside regular coal, lignite is also still used for electricity generation. Lignite power stations churn out large amounts of carbon dioxide, with a comparably low level of efficiency. Thus they hold little meaning for E.ON. In 2009 they constituted only a small part of the total energy production, with a power output of 2.3 GW.

For environmental reasons, emissions from coal energy production must be reduced, and measures must be taken to convert methods of energy production over to lower emission technologies. E.ON has set itself the goal of halving the CO₂ emissions of its energy production by 2030 at the latest, compared with 1990. E.ON is following a double strategy to reduce the CO₂ emissions of its coal power plants, namely by means of an efficiency enhancement of the 700 degree technology  and by using CCS technology.