The German government recently approved a plan to organize bidding for four gas-fired power plants to convert to hydrogen over a 20-year roadmap. The move is considered very important in Germany's energy transition towards increasing the proportion of renewable energy and gradually phasing out coal power.
Necessary addition
In early February, the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection announced that the German Government had approved a plan to organize tenders for four gas-fired thermal power plants ready to convert to using hydrogen. total capacity up to 2GW. Reuters quoted sources as saying that the German Government's support for companies building and operating the above factories is worth up to 10 billion USD, including capital and operating support, with a value of up to 17 billion USD. Valid for 20 years.
These plants will run on gas for a short time, then convert to hydrogen. According to the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, plans to switch to hydrogen will be completed before 2032 so that plants can switch to full use of hydrogen between 2035 and 2040. .
Der Spiegel magazine said that the tender for the first factory with a capacity of 2,5GW will take place next summer. The next three tenders to build factories with the same capacity will be launched no later than the fall of 2025. Der Spiegel's source also said that during operation, Germany will compensate for the The price difference between hydrogen and natural gas is at most 800 hours per year. Both green hydrogen from renewables and green hydrogen from natural gas or coal will be supported, but other types of hydrogen, such as hydrogen from nuclear power, will not be supported.
Germany sees backup power plants, which initially use gas but are ready to convert to hydrogen, as a necessary addition to securing energy supplies until renewable energy can overcome the problems. issues of storage and grid technology to completely replace fossil fuels. Ms. Claudia Gunther, analyst at the Aurora Energy Research Center, pointed out that Germany is expected to face electricity shortages in the 2030s due to continuously increasing electricity demand, especially in the electricity sector. transportation and heating. In that context, backup power plants will provide base load, that is, round-the-clock energy, because renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power do not guarantee continuity.
However, such backup power plants only operate at certain times, while fuel costs are significantly higher than natural gas, so businesses are not interested in investing capital. private. Therefore, the German Government is forced to have supportive policies to solve the problem of investment efficiency for businesses. Through the tender, the German Government hopes to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy production and consolidate intermittent clean energy sources. Berlin officials agree that gas-fired power plants ready to convert to hydrogen will soon become part of Germany's power plant strategy.
The German Energy Business Association (BDEW) has welcomed the German Government's plan, saying that this plan will create an important basis for the path towards climate neutrality, and at the same time maintain the security of Germany's energy supply. According to BDEW, such expansion of new gas-fired power plants will be the basis for phasing out coal power. However, this Association also requested to clarify support, as well as ensure that the bidding process to build new factories can be held this year.
Meanwhile, Germany's Deutsche Umwelthilfe environmental group said that information related to the plan, including financing and bidding design, is still vague and could lead to the construction of gas power plants. combustion did not convert to using hydrogen as committed. Deutsche Umwelthilfe also expressed concern about the deal considering deploying expensive technologies that are still in development, rather than relying on existing solutions. “Clearly this is not green hydrogen. We need a largely climate-neutral electricity system by 2035,” said Deutsche Umwelthilfe CEO Sascha Müller-Kraenner.
Energy company EnBW also assessed that the above plan is an important step, but the 10 GW target is too low to ensure the acceleration of the phase-out of coal-fired energy by 2030.
Accelerate the goal of increasing the share of renewable energy
Germany is racing to build low-carbon energy sources while gradually phasing out coal power, with the goal of increasing the rate of renewable energy consumption from about 50% currently to 80% by 2030. In 2023, the country has Closing the three remaining nuclear power plants and hoping to achieve the net zero emissions target by 0.
In recent times, Germany has implemented many measures to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy production and strengthen intermittent clean energy sources. In particular, in terms of law, in 2020, Germany began implementing the Law on Reduction and End of Coal-Based Energy with the aim of gradually reducing and eventually ending the use of coal-fired energy in Germany by 2038. This law also amends the German Renewable Energy Sources Law to systematize the target of increasing the share of renewable energy by 2030.
Also in 2020, the Law on Support for German Coal Regions came into force, which sets out provisions for financial support to address structural changes and ensure employment in affected areas. affected by the process of stopping coal use.
According to initial expectations, the German Government will announce the country's power plant strategy from early 2023. However, the German Constitutional Court blocked the transfer of 60 billion euros (65,6 billion USD). Unused programs from the Covid-19 pandemic to finance climate projects have delayed this plan. When announced, this will be a very important basis for the German Government to persuade brown coal producers in the east, the most polluting type of coal, to phase out coal-using plants earlier than the main deadline. The formula is 2038 and helps Germany reach its greenhouse emissions target faster.
In a recent announcement, the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection said that the German Government will also support the development of new technologies such as nuclear fusion and support power plants running entirely on hydrogen. right from the start. At the same time, Germany will remove all barriers to the construction of domestic electrolysis plants for the production of green hydrogen, speeding up planning and licensing procedures for all new gas power plants.
Germany will also add to its electricity market structure a technology-neutral, market-based capacity regime, which reflects the increased share of renewables in the German energy mix. It is expected that this mechanism will be agreed upon in mid-2024 and operational in 2028. In the capacity market, suppliers are not only paid for each kilowatt hour of electricity they produce and put into grid but also get paid to be available to provide electricity.
According to the annual assessment of Germany's energy transition by Berlin-based consultancy Agora Energiewende, Germany's greenhouse gas emissions fell about 20% last year, to their lowest level since the 50s of last century. However, about half of this decrease was due to a “sharp” decline in coal-fired power generation as German industrial production slowed. Only 15% of the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to technological improvements such as greater use of renewable energy. German Deputy Prime Minister Robert Habeck in a statement welcomed the data published by Agora. Mr. Habeck emphasized that in 2023, more than half of Germany's electricity supply will be generated from renewable sources. Mr. Habeck affirmed his goal of maintaining strong industrial production and soon achieving the goal of climate neutrality.
The article is taken from Nhan Dan newspaper: https://nhandan.vn/duc-day-nhanh-tien-trinh-chuyen-doi-nang-luong-post798448.html