Germany's Uniper to Restart Coal-Fired Power Plant for Electricity Generation
23 August 2022 - 8:18AM
Dow Jones News
By Mauro Orru
German energy giant Uniper SE will restart a hard-coal-fired
power plant to produce electricity for the market as Berlin races
to secure energy supplies for the winter.
Uniper said late Monday that the Heyden 4 hard-coal-fired power
plant in Petershagen, near Minden, would start generating
electricity from Aug. 29 through April 2023, although an extension
is possible depending on German legislation.
Europe has been boosting coal purchases to ensure it can keep
power flowing to homes and factories after Russia previously cut
gas supplies to the continent.
Germany, which had promised to eliminate coal as a power source
by 2030, is among the nations now importing more. Economy Minister
Robert Habeck called the increased reliance on coal bitter but
necessary.
Uniper had ended commercial operation of the power plant at the
end of 2020 as part of its decarbonization plans. Since mid-2021,
Heyden 4 served as a reserve power plant, but hasn't generated any
electricity for the market.
The company was due to shut down the power plant permanently in
July, but opted otherwise after German authorities said the
facility was "systemically relevant" and necessary for the secure
supply in the region.
Last week, Russian state-owned energy exporter Gazprom PJSC said
it would shut down the Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline to Germany
for three days of maintenance later this month, ratcheting up
pressure on energy-starved Europe.
Uniper, Germany's largest importer of Russian gas, has been
forced to buy gas on the market where prices are near records after
Moscow slashed deliveries to Germany starting in June. The German
government last month agreed on a multi-billion-euro rescue package
for Uniper and decided to take a 30% stake in the company.
Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com; @MauroOrru94
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 23, 2022 02:03 ET (06:03 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Uniper (TG:UN01)
Historical Stock Chart
Von Apr 2024 bis Mai 2024
Uniper (TG:UN01)
Historical Stock Chart
Von Mai 2023 bis Mai 2024