(Montel) Four planned reserve units that were supposed to be ready to support the German power grid by October are facing substantial delays, operators told Montel on Monday.
The four units (300 MW each) are to be built by power producers RWE, Uniper, ENBW and Leag.
They were scheduled to be ready for operation this month at the latest, according to the government’s 2017 decision to allow grid operators develop emergency back-up measures as part of Germany’s previously planned phaseout from nuclear by the end of 2022.
Uniper now plans to complete its unit, Irsching 6, by March, spokesman Oliver Roeder told Montel today.
“There were delays in the construction phase due to Covid-19 infections, among other things, but also due to technical reasons,” he said.
“Delays in construction”
Except for the ENBW unit in Marbach in the southwest, which will be fired with light heating oil, all units will run on gas.
ENBW said the completion of the unit will be delayed by “months”, without being more specific.
“Worldwide delivery difficulties, material bottlenecks, plant closures and staff absences have led to delays in construction work,” a spokeswoman said.
At RWE, preparations for the operation of the unit at its former nuclear site in Biblis in the southwest were “underway”, spokesman Matthias Beigel said, without being more specific.
Leag is building a unit in Leipheim in Bavaria near the former nuclear site Gundremmingen that will be completed by August 2023, according to its website.
Earlier this month, Berlin decided to delay its planned nuclear phaseout and keep the country’s three remaining reactors online until 15 April 2023 amid the continent’s energy crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
They were scheduled to be ready for operation this month at the latest, according to the government’s 2017 decision to allow grid operators develop emergency back-up measures as part of Germany’s previously planned phaseout from nuclear by the end of 2022.
Uniper now plans to complete its unit, Irsching 6, by March, spokesman Oliver Roeder told Montel today.
“There were delays in the construction phase due to Covid-19 infections, among other things, but also due to technical reasons,” he said.
“Delays in construction”
Except for the ENBW unit in Marbach in the southwest, which will be fired with light heating oil, all units will run on gas.
ENBW said the completion of the unit will be delayed by “months”, without being more specific.
“Worldwide delivery difficulties, material bottlenecks, plant closures and staff absences have led to delays in construction work,” a spokeswoman said.
At RWE, preparations for the operation of the unit at its former nuclear site in Biblis in the southwest were “underway”, spokesman Matthias Beigel said, without being more specific.
Leag is building a unit in Leipheim in Bavaria near the former nuclear site Gundremmingen that will be completed by August 2023, according to its website.
Earlier this month, Berlin decided to delay its planned nuclear phaseout and keep the country’s three remaining reactors online until 15 April 2023 amid the continent’s energy crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
