– Two German energy companies shut down seven coal-fired power plants over Easter weekend, taking 3,000 MW offline for decommissioning.
– German government allowed the units to operate through winter to reduce dependency on Russian natural gas after Ukraine invasion.
– RWE Power closed 5 coal-fired units at 2 power stations, LEAG shut down 2 units, RWE plans to shut down all coal units by 2030 and invest in hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants.
Two German energy companies, RWE Power and LEAG, closed a total of seven coal-fired power plants over the Easter holiday weekend, taking offline more than 3,000 MW of generation capacity for decommissioning. The German government had allowed these units to operate through the winter as the country aims to reduce its reliance on natural gas from Russia following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
RWE Power shut down five coal-fired units at two power stations in March, totaling 2,100 MW of generation capacity. LEAG also closed two coal-fired units in Brandenburg, amounting to another 1,000 MW offline. RWE has closed 12 coal-fired units with a total generation capacity of 4,200 MW in the past three years and plans to shutter all coal-fired units by 2030.
Despite the shutdowns, officials in Germany do not anticipate power supply issues following the completion of the 2023-24 winter season. RWE plans to build hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants to replace the lost coal-fired generation and invest billions in renewable energy sources by 2030.
The closed coal-fired units had operated since the 1970s and were originally scheduled to close in accordance with Germany’s phase-out of coal-fired power. RWE Power expressed gratitude to its workforce for their commitment during the energy crisis and stated that future efforts will focus on preparing for the coal phase-out and final recultivation.