In future, gas-fired power plants will step in to ensure a secure supply during “dark lulls”. That is the federal government’s plan. What the industry president says about the practice.
Industry President Siegfried Russwurm has serious doubts about the federal government’s strategy for building new gas-fired power plants. Russwurm told the German Press Agency that he believes the federal government’s target of 12.5 gigawatts by 2030 is virtually unattainable. “This also puts the early phase-out of coal in 2030 at risk.”
The Federal Network Agency has the task of ensuring that there is always enough capacity on the grid and that the power supply is therefore secure at all times, said Russwurm. “It will therefore have no choice but to simply prohibit the shutdown of coal-fired power plants. The conditions under which the operators will then maintain operational readiness are another matter.”
Government plans
New gas-fired power plants, which will later be operated with hydrogen, will in future be available as “backups” to secure electricity generation from renewable energies from wind and solar energy – in times of “dark lulls” when there is no wind and no sun. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, the new power plants will also make a contribution to the rapid decarbonization of the power plant fleet. A total of 12.5 gigawatts of power plant capacity is to be put out to tender. State funding is planned. Final approval from the EU under state aid law is still pending.
The construction of the new power plants is also intended to ensure an earlier phase-out of coal. For the Rhineland region, this has already been brought forward by eight years to 2030. Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) expects an early, market-driven phase-out of coal in eastern Germany as well.
Russwurm sees increased demand
“The topic of power plant strategy is almost becoming a running joke,” said Russwurm, President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). “I have been hearing for almost a year now: ‘We will soon have a power plant strategy.’ The cabinet decision for the underlying and required capacity market announced for this summer is still not available.”
The need for new, controllable gas power plant capacities is far greater than what the government is currently planning, said Russwurm. Once all the political framework and perhaps even the financing have been clarified, the question arises: “Can we even build the gas power plants? There is currently no really large, hydrogen-capable power plant anywhere,” said Russwurm.
“In discussions with manufacturers and the engineers who are working on it, I hear: We would love to build one, but only where there is a hydrogen pipeline that also supplies the necessary quantities of hydrogen,” said the BDI president. A power plant must first be built in order to take the step from the “component test bench” to practical use: “That has not happened yet.”
Source: Stern
