EnBW head urges speed on new German power plant plan

EnBW Energie Baden Wuerttemberg AG

10/02/2025 17:42

ESSEN, Germany, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Germany's next
government must pick up a stalled draft law on the development
of new gas-powered generation capacity quickly, the head of
major utility EnBW  EBKG.DE  said at an industry event on
Monday.
     EnBW is one of a number of companies wanting to build new
power stations, along with Uniper and STEAG. 
     A bill for the construction and modernisation of 12.5
gigawatts (GW) of gas power plants was dropped by the now
dissolved government coalition last year as it could not reach
consensus internally, and with the industry, on its details.
     A general election is scheduled for February 23, with
coalition talks likely to follow as polls suggest no party will
have an absolute majority. 
    Any new government "must decide on the power plant
strategy," said Georg Stamatelopoulos, CEO of the south-western
company that provides services such as power and gas and
electric mobility infrastructure, on the sidelines of the
E-World conference in Essen. 
    "The message has been received that it must be quick," he
added.
    Stamatelopoulos said the industry needs clarity on an
accompanying market design by 2027/28 so that power generators
can compete in government tenders to build new capacity.
    EnBW estimates 20 GW of new capacity are needed up to 2030
to safeguard system stability on the power grids, which by that
stage should receive 80% of their supply from wind or solar
panels, while carbon-polluting coal plants are being shut.

 (Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff and Vera Eckert; Editing by Jan
Harvey)
 ((vera.eckert@thomsonreuters.com; +49 30 2201 33654))