Securing the power supply this winter will be a challenge, but according to the grid operator Austrian Power Grid (APG), it is very unlikely that there will be a shortage of power or even a power outage. In the most realistic scenario, there is “not a single hour of undersupply, ie a situation where there is too little electricity supply to meet the demand for electricity,” said Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) on Monday.
Only under even more difficult conditions could there be too little electricity, but “Malnutrition does not mean that there will be a power failure”, according to Gewessler, then one would only have to reduce consumption in a targeted manner. The electricity stress test conducted by APG shows: “In none of the scenarios is there an increased blackout risk in Austria.”
“A power shortage can be counteracted in a targeted manner”
The stress test is not an indication of a possible blackout, emphasizes APG CTO Gerhard Christiner. A blackout is an uncontrolled, totally unexpected breakdown of the electricity grid, while a power shortage can be counteracted in a targeted manner.
Gas plays a crucial role
Christiner described the situation in the energy sector as “pretty tense”, so a stress test was conducted with a focus on the winter half. Gas plays a crucial role in security of supply.
Europe: 27% of winter electricity needs covered by nuclear power plants
“This winter we will cover 18 percent of the electricity demand in Europe, and that is history, from gas-fired power plants.” The electricity sector therefore cannot do without gas. “That means: about a third of the available storage capacity in the gas sector must be used to generate electricity.” About 27 percent of Europe’s winter electricity needs are covered by nuclear power plants.
Austria covers 16 percent of its electricity needs with imports in the winter half year. 22 percent of the electricity in Austria comes from gas-fired power stations, the remaining 62 percent from hydropower, wind, photovoltaics and biomass.
Europe’s largest nuclear power producer, France, currently has just under 30 GW of its 61 GW of generating capacity available, explains the APG board member. Some 40 GW of nuclear power is believed to be available in France this winter at its peak in January.
Coal Supply in Germany
In Germany, there is a risk that when the water level in the rivers is low in winter, not enough coal can be transported to the power stations. Poland also relies heavily on coal, including coal from Russia, which is currently unavailable. That is why Poland has been granted an exemption at European level that does not have to allow the export of electricity.
Against this background, APG has calculated three scenarios, explains Christiner. The most likely scenario (“combination scenario”) assumes that there are no coal supply problems in Germany, no increase in electricity consumption and no gas limitation for electricity generation. In this scenario, the electricity demand can be met at any time.
In the “critical combination scenario” there could be 479 hours in Austria with insufficient load, in the “combination scenario very critical” up to 815 hours. “From the current perspective, these two scenarios have a low or very low probability of occurring for the winter of 2022/2023,” APG’s experts say. The availability of the three German nuclear power plants was not even taken into account.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
