(Bloomberg) -- Germany will need more gas-powered plants to guarantee secure electricity supplies in the coming years, a study of the network regulator BNetzA found.
With the country planning to switch off its last three nuclear power plants by mid-April and pipeline gas imports from Russia stopped, a further increase in liquefied natural gas imports will be needed in the decade, according to the report, which is published every two years and to which four energy think-tanks contributed.
To save gas and stave off an energy crisis, the government last year allowed old coal plants to return to the market. Still, gas-powered production rose by 1.7 percent, partly because demand from France surged to a record.
While the analysis for the period 2025-31 sees overall gas consumption shrinking — with households increasingly switching to heat pumps — more gas will be used in electricity production, to meet demands including a growing fleet of electric cars. Provided that gas prices don’t spike again, the report found that new gas-fired power plants producing about 17 to 21 gigawatts gross could be built. These utilities should be able to flexibly cover peak loads.
If the filling of gas storages is regulated and gas usage continues to shrink, then a complete phase-out of coal by 2030 could be possible, according to the report, compared with a national deadline of 2038.
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
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