Energy - Wüst warns federal government: Do not jeopardize early coal phase-out
North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst (CDU) has called on the federal government to speed up the new gas-fired power plant strategy so as not to jeopardize the early phase-out of coal in NRW by 2030. "There must be clarity by next year at the latest," Wüst told the German Press Agency. Six gas-fired power plants would have to be built in NRW. It would take five to six years from approval to the final construction of such a power plant. "For the energy supply of the future, we now need the power plant strategy announced by the federal government very quickly," said the CDU politician. "But so far we have been waiting in vain for this."
If the power plant strategy is not in place and the tender for the capacity does not take place, there can be no tender for the construction, said the NRW head of government. If the new hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants were not built in time, the old power plants could not be taken off the grid either. "There can be no phase-out without a phase-in." Security of supply and reliability must be guaranteed at all times in an industrialized country. The new plants should supply electricity when generation from wind and solar is insufficient.
NRW has also been "waiting for months for the traffic lights to finally move" on the urgently needed grid development plan, said Wüst. The new gas-fired power plants must be reliably supplied first with gas and then with hydrogen, which comes from Seebrugge and Rotterdam in particular. "The grid operators in our neighboring countries to the west are also waiting in the wings," said the CDU politician. "We need this clarity and we need speed, otherwise the federal government will jeopardize the 2030 phase-out."
NRW is doing its homework, said Wüst. "We are expanding renewable energies faster than almost any other state." NRW is the frontrunner when it comes to approving wind power capacities. So far this year, 278 turbines have been approved - 20 times as many as in Bavaria. In the tenders, North Rhine-Westphalia has been awarded by far the most contracts in the wind energy sector.
The energy company RWE had also recently pushed for a rapid regulatory framework from the federal government to enable investment in hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants. Last year, the two federal and state economic ministries led by Green politicians, together with RWE, firmly agreed to phase out lignite mining in NRW eight years earlier than planned by 20230.
Coal phase-out in the Rhenish mining area
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- The Federal Government was urged by Hendrik Wüst, the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia's CDU, to expedite the new gas-fired power plant strategy to avoid delaying the early coal phase-out in NRW by 2030.
- According to Wüst, without prompt clarity from the federal government on the power plant strategy and timely tenders, the construction of six new gas-fired power plants in NRW cannot commence.
- Wüst emphasized that the lack of new hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants in time could prevent the retirement of the existing power plants, leading to potential jeopardization of the planned coal phase-out.
- NRW has faced delays from the federal government in finalizing a grid development plan necessary for reliably supplying the new and hydrogen-capable power plants.
- Wüst pointed out that Germany's western neighboring countries are also awaiting clarity and speedy action from the federal government to ensure their cooperation in the power plant project.
- In addition to pushing for swift energy policy changes, RWE, a prominent energy company, has advocated for swift regulatory frameworks to enable investment in hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants.
- Last year, North Rhine-Westphalia agreed with the federal and state economic ministries, led by Green politicians, to phase out lignite mining eight years earlier than initially planned, in 20230.
Source: www.stern.de
