Wüst gives go-ahead for new Uniper power plant

Energy - Wüst gives go-ahead for new Uniper power plant

For a new Gas and Steam Turbine power plant of energy corporation Uniper in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) Minister-President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) gave the official start signal on a Thursday. With a capacity of around 140 Megawatt, the plant will generate process steam and district heating as well as electricity for industry and other customers in the region, Uniper announced.

The power plant at the Scholven site is named "Scholven 1". It is still in the commissioning phase. Initially, it will be fired with natural gas, later it should then run on hydrogen.

Uniper CEO Michael Lewis spoke of a milestone for the site and for Uniper as a whole. "Scholven now has a platform for future projects based on hydrogen in the Ruhr area", Lewis said in a statement. He confirmed that by 2030, 80 percent of Uniper's generation capacity should be CO2-neutral. "These projects make our strategy tangible and real.", he added. Already by 2029, they want to exit coal-fired power generation.

Wüst emphasized the necessity of climate-friendly energy and heating supply, which is secure and affordable. This is a fundamental prerequisite for the economic strength of NRW. With the new power plant, Uniper is making an important contribution on the way to achieving this.

Uniper operates two coal-fired power plant blocks (Scholven B and C) at the Scholven site. They were designated as system-relevant by the Federal Network Agency. In case of need, they can be requested by the transmission system operator Amprion for grid stabilization from the transmission network.

Scholven was only one station on a day trip of Minister-President Wüst through the Ruhr area. According to the State Chancellery, he gained an impression of current projects and challenges in the fields of research and development in the fight against cancer as well as cybersecurity, climate-neutral industry and energy supply during the trip.

Statement

1. The new Gas and Steam Turbine power plant in Gelsenkirchen, part of the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), is being Commissioned by Uniper, an energy company.
2. Hendrik Wüst, the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia and a member of the CDU party, officially initiated the start of this project with a capacity of approximately 140 Megawatt.
3. Uniper's Scholven 1 power plant, still in its commissioning phase, will produce process steam, district heating, and electricity for local industries and customers in the region.
4. Initially, the plant will operate on natural gas, but plans are to transition it to hydrogen as an alternative energy source by a later date.
5. Michael Lewis, the CEO of Uniper, considers this as a significant milestone for the site and the company himself, as it provides a foundation for future hydrogen-based projects in the Ruhr area.
6. Lewis also outlines Uniper's ambition to have 80 percent of its generation capacity become CO2-neutral by 2030 and plans to cease coal-fired power generation by 2029.
7. Wüst reiterates the importance of secure and affordable climate-friendly energy and heating supply, agreeing that it contributes significantly to NRW's economic strength, and Uniper's new power plant is a crucial step towards achieving this goal.

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