Germany's gas plant expansion plans face major hurdles on the ground – Amprion
Politico
The German government’s plan to build 20 gigawatts (GW) of new gas-fired power plants by 2030 faces several significant hurdles, Christoph Müller, CEO of transmission grid operator Amprion, told Politico Pro Energie und Klima.
“The tender for the 20 GW is supposed to happen quickly, but turbine manufacturers currently do not have 50 turbines in stock waiting to be picked up,” said Müller. In addition, it would be difficult to find sufficient personnel to build the power plants, as well as the right locations across Germany. Permit procedures would further slow down the process.
As Germany fundamentally changes how it generates electricity by expanding wind and solar power capacity, which are intermittent by nature, it needs to ensure backup capacity develops alongside as the country exits coal. The government currently plans to install up to 20 GW of new gas plant capacity, with at least 5 GW put up for auction for state support around the start of 2026. However, the government is still in talks with the European Commission to secure the green light based on state aid rules.
Plans to expand Germany's gas-fired power plant capacity had already been made by the previous government, but the collapse of Olaf Scholz's coalition led to significant delays in implementing the auctions for plant operators. Initial plans for the new gas plant fleet included a much lower capacity and strict requirements for making the plants compatible with green hydrogen. The new government of Friedrich Merz has said that auctions should be held around the end of 2025, but looks set to cut ambitions for the backup plants' hydrogen-readiness.
