Emmanuel Thomas, DPA, Sunday, June 11, 2023
SAARLAND – German power generator Steag could convert all six of its largely coal-fired plants to gas for use as a backup to renewable energy resources, chief executive Andreas Reichel said on Sunday.
“We could build power stations of this kind,” Reichel told dpa, pointing to the company’s six plants in the Ruhr Region and Saarland in western Germany. The plants are all fired with hard coal.
Germany has had to boost domestic energy sources, including coal, since ending its reliance on Russian gas following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. This has also expedited the transition to renewables.
Gas-fired plants capable of delivering dispatchable power – power that can be rapidly called up and later shut down again – could be built quickly at three of the company’s sites, Reichel said.
The plants could switch to hydrogen in the future, Reichel indicated.
But he also stressed the need for urgency. “If we aim to have gas power stations by 2030, then we need to have the preconditions created by the end of this year,” he said.
In general, one year was needed for planning, two years for acquiring permits and three years for construction, Reichel said.
The German government was expected to outline its power station strategy soon, he noted. An Economy Ministry spokeswoman said the strategy would contain instruments leading to medium-term investments in 25 gigawatts of dispatchable power generation.
Steag is owned by a consortium of six Ruhr Region municipal utilities who have decided to sell the company. “I’m assuming that we will conclude a sales contract with a new owner during the summer,” Reichel said.
