The controversial hard coal power plant is the youngest in Germany. According to the operator, an early shutdown in order to meet the climate targets should cost the state quite a bit.
The energy company Uniper insists on compensation if its Datteln IV hard coal power plant is to be shut down earlier than 2038.
Anyone who wants to change the coal phase-out law must “take the question of compensation into account,” said Uniper CEO Klaus-Dieter Maubach on Wednesday evening at an event organized by the Düsseldorf Economic Journalists’ Association.
Uniper is ready to talk on the subject. “We are aware that Datteln IV has become the symbol for the German coal phase-out,” said Maubach. “But the ball is not with us.”
Datteln IV was the last German hard coal power plant to go online last year. In the law on the end of coal-fired power generation, an earlier end than 2038 was waived with a view to possible compensation. Bringing the coal phase out should be an issue in the negotiations on the formation of a new federal government.
Attempts to force Datteln IV out of the market with a higher CO2 price would not work, stressed Maubach. Anyone who tries that will be disappointed. Uniper largely “leased” the power plant’s generation capacity to two major customers and concluded long-term contracts for them. The group therefore also gets money if these customers do not buy electricity because of variable costs that are too high. In addition to the energy company RWE, Deutsche Bahn has long-term contracts with Uniper.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
