German parties quarrel over whether to label natural gas a green investment - document

FILE PHOTO: Social Democratic Party (SPD) top candidate for chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives for talks to form a so-called traffic light government coalition, in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2021. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

BERLIN (Reuters) - The three parties working to form Germany's next ruling coalition disagree over whether the European Union should label gas power plants a green investment in efforts to reach climate protection goals, a negotiation document showed on Wednesday.

As Germany is phasing out nuclear and coal power plants, Chancellor-in-waiting Olaf Scholz and his centre-left Social Democrats are trying to convince the Greens in coalition talks that natural gas is needed as a bridge to guarantee energy security during the switch towards a zero carbon economy.