Because of the war in Ukraine, many countries want to save on natural gas. In Germany, the first coal-fired power station from the reserve is now back in operation. the Mehrum power plant in Hohenhameln (Peine district) in Lower Saxony was not shut down until the end of 2021.
The power plant belongs to the Czech energy group EPH. So far, it’s the only power plant “market return” reported to the Federal Network Agency. According to a regulation, since 14 July, it has been possible to put coal-fired power stations from the so-called grid reserve back into operation in order to save natural gas. According to the Federal Network Agency, natural gas accounted for 11.2 percent of power generation in Germany in June.
About half a million households can be supplied
The Mehrum power plant has been in reserve since the beginning of December 2021, according to the commercial manager of the operating company, Kathrin Voelkner. “We have announced the return to the electricity market. We assume that we will be back on the grid shortly.” The plant has a net capacity of 690 megawatts. In 2018, it generated so much electricity that theoretically more than half a million model households could be supplied with electricity.
The German government regulation allows the sale of electricity from coal or oil-fired reserve power plants until the end of April 2023. Restarting for several months is economically interesting for power plant operators because wholesale electricity prices are currently high. At the same time, there is sufficient coal on the world market. The measure is intended to drive natural gas from the electricity market.
Other companies also want to reactivate blockages
The energy company Steag also wants to sell more electricity. Company spokesman Markus Hennes said they have “firm intentions” to return to the market with 2,300 megawatts of generating capacity. This includes two blocks in Saarland, which are already in reserve, and two more blocks in Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia, which were to be closed at the end of October. The energy company Uniper is also investigating the return to the market of its backup systems with a total capacity of more than 2000 megawatts. But no decision has been made yet, said spokesman Oliver Roeder. “Unfortunately, at this time it is impossible to say when a decision will be made, as there are still technical, organizational and business issues to be resolved.”
The energy company EnBW does not want to put its five reserve power stations back on the market because they can no longer run continuously due to old age. Regardless of the special regulations of the EKBG, against the background of the war in Ukraine and current developments in the gas market, the company now wants to keep a coal block in Karlsruhe running until at least the end of winter 2023/24. Originally, EnBW wanted to register this unit for decommissioning in the summer of 2022 as part of the coal phase-out.
In addition to the already applicable regulation for coal and oil plants, a regulation is also being prepared before the beginning of October for the restart of lignite plants that have already been shut down. In addition, there is a gas-saving scheme that is intended to prevent unnecessary generation of electricity from natural gas. “The regulation is currently being prepared and will come into effect if it turns out that further gas savings are needed in electricity generation,” the Ministry of Economic Affairs announced on July 21.
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.
