The Bundestag voted in favor of the Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act (StromVKG). The new plants are intended to support the coal phase-out and the expansion of renewable energies while preventing supply gaps. Union and SPD voted for the draft by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU), while the opposition rejected it.
The AfD warned of billions in costs and called for a return to nuclear power. The Greens and the Left criticized a growing dependence on gas imports and opaque costs. Union and SPD defended the project, which now goes to the Bundesrat.
Tenders for eleven gigawatts of new capacity are to be launched this year, with the plants expected to come online by the end of 2031. The gas-fired power plants are initially to burn natural gas and be converted to hydrogen by 2045 at the latest (“H2-ready”). A capacity market is planned from 2032, which will pay operators for holding reserve capacity.
The subsidy costs will be passed on to electricity customers from 2031. The government originally estimated one to three billion euros per year in 2031, followed by 0.9 to 2.3 billion euros annually. German Environmental Aid criticizes that the bid caps have been raised from 173,000 to 244,000 euros per megawatt, which could drive costs to over four billion euros. The Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industry (BDEW) praised the regulations as a viable compromise. RWE CEO Markus Krebber welcomed the decision and hopes for swift EU approval.
Source: www.zdfheute.de
