German power firms told to invest in coal, gas - paper

BERLIN, April 15 (Reuters) - Energy firms need to invest massively in modernising coal- and gas-fired power plants as Germany considers an accelerated exit from nuclear power, the economy minister of North Rhine Westphalia said on Friday.

Harry Voigtsberger also told German power producers not to be confrontational after top firms halted payments into an energy fund following a row over nuclear-plant shutdown plans, according to a report in paper Financial Times Deutschland. [ID:nLDE73A0OT]

The comments come as the heads of Germany's 16 states meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin later on Friday to discuss energy policy and an eventual closure of Germany's nuclear power plants.

In Germany, the nuclear crisis in Japan -- triggered by a March 11 earthquake and tsunami which badly damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant -- has already led to a shutdown of several nuclear plants and the government is set to shore up the renewable sector. [ID:nLDE72L1E3] [ID:nBAT006104]

Germany's top energy firms include RWE (RWEG.DE), E.ON (EONGn.DE), Vattenfall VATN.UL and EnBW (EBKG.DE).

North Rhine Westphalia is Germany's most populous state. (Reporting by Thomas Atkins; Editing by Jon Boyle)