“Implementation of many important power-plant projects stalled”

Many gas-fired power-plant projects in Germany never get off the ground because investors fear adverse business conditions will hinder profits, Stefan Kapferer, head of Germany’s largest energy industry association BDEW, said in a press release. Investments in gas-fired power plants “will only be made if there’s a clear policy signal that gas as an energy vector and the gas infrastructure have a political future,” Kapferer explained. Fifteen gas-fired power plants with a capacity of 9,500 megawatts (MW) currently are in the planning stages in Germany, but the majority haven't recieved the final go-ahead, the BDEW says. According to the lobby group, gas-fired power plants will play a central role in reducing the country’s CO₂ emissions, which is why a capacity reserve mechanism was necessary to ensure their construction.

Read the press release in German here.