Energy - Industry warns: Delay in the construction of new gas-fired power plants?
The energy industry is warning of the consequences of a delay in the planned construction of hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants. The head of Germany's third-largest energy company EnBW, Andreas Schell, told "Der Spiegel": "If the power plant strategy does not come soon, Germany will not be able to phase out coal by 2030." The municipal utilities association VKU warned that any further postponement of the power plant strategy already announced for this summer must be avoided.
A spokeswoman for Economics Minister Robert Habeck said that the power plant strategy was still being developed. It should be presented as soon as possible. With regard to the Karlsruhe budget ruling, she said that everything was connected. It was a far-reaching ruling. The ministry was sticking to its goal of building hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants.
Following the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court, there is a large gap in the federal government's finances. The court had declared the reallocation of coronavirus loans of 60 billion euros from the 2021 budget to the Climate and Transformation Fund null and void. This is used to finance climate protection projects.
Power plants for "dark doldrums"
The German government is relying on renewable energies from wind and solar power to restructure the electricity system - but hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants are to be built for "dark doldrums". Habeck had announced state subsidies that are likely to be in the billions.
EnBW wants to phase out coal-fired power generation in 2028 and is building three new gas-fired power plants that will also generate hydrogen in the future. "Without planning security, we will not be able to make any further investment decisions," Schell told Der Spiegel.
Ingbert Liebing, Managing Director of the Association of Municipal Enterprises(VKU), said that the power plant strategy is the central building block for a successful and efficient energy transition by securing the future power supply with flexible power plants. "Otherwise, we face a supply shortfall or the coal phase-out cannot take place as planned." Without a power plant strategy, the risk for investors would be too high and investments would initially fail to materialize. In the worst-case scenario, none of the power plants required for 2030 would be connected to the grid.
Together with the energy company RWE, politicians had agreed to phase out coal eight years earlier in 2030 for the Rhineland coalfield. No such agreement has been reached for the coal regions in Brandenburg, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
Lesen Sie auch:
- Despite the warnings from the energy industry, Economics Minister Robert Habeck's spokeswoman affirmed that the power plant strategy, which includes building hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants, is still being developed.
- The delay in constructing new gas-fired power plants, as per the industry's concerns, could hinder Germany's goal of phasing out coal by 2030, according to EnBW's head Andreas Schell.
- The ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court created a financial gap in the federal government's budget, declaring the reallocation of coronavirus loans for climate protection projects null and void.
- The VKU, a municipal utilities association, warned against further postponement of the power plant strategy, as announced for this summer, to secure flexible power plants for a successful energy transition.
- EnBW, Germany's third-largest energy company, is planning to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2028 and build three new gas-fired power plants capable of producing hydrogen.
- Hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants are considered essential for "dark doldrums" when renewable energies may not be sufficient, and Robert Habeck had announced state subsidies for this purpose.
- Without a clear power plant strategy, investments in the energy sector could fail to materialize, leading to a possible supply shortfall or delay in the planned coal phase-out in some regions of Germany.
- In contrast to the agreement to phase out coal by 2030 in the Rhineland coalfield, no such agreement has been reached for the coal regions in Brandenburg, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt, which necessitates a comprehensive power plant strategy.
Source: www.stern.de
