Bergkamen power station

From Global Energy Monitor

Bergkamen power station is a power station in Bergkamen, Unna, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Bergkamen power station Bergkamen, Unna, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany 51.636678, 7.620603 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • CC1, Unit A: 51.636678, 7.620603

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
CC1 announced[1] fossil gas: natural gas[1] 900 combined cycle[1]
Unit A mothballed[2] coal: bituminous 780 subcritical 1981 2026 (planned)[3]

CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name Owner Parent
CC1 STEAG GmbH [100%] Asterion Industrial Partners SA [100.0%]
Unit A STEAG GmbH [100%] Asterion Industrial Partners SA [100.0%]

Background

The 780 MW plant was commissioned in 1981. It was jointly owned by RWE and STEAG.[4][5] In 2018, German utility STEAD announced it was acquiring RWE’s stake in the plant.[6]

In May 2021, STEAG announced that the power plant would be shut down.[7]

A 2021 auction finalized terms to close over 2,100 MW of coal power, including the Bergkamen A plant by October 2022.[8][9]

As of July 2022, due to energy security concerns in light of the war in Ukraine, the plant may stay online or in reserve until 2024.[10] In March 2022, STEAG had still planned to decommission the plant later that year.[11]

In February 2024, the power station was approved as "systemically relevant" through March 31, 2026.[12]

In April 2024, the power station was mothballed.[13]

Coal shortages

In September 2021, STEAG filings revealed the plant had ceased generation four times for up to six days at a time due to external factors. The temporary shutdowns came at a time when a limited supply of gas led German power utilities to increase coal generation leading to coal shortages. “We are short of hard coal ... There is a strong demand for coal per se and secondly, there is a strong demand for transport by barge. And since Bergkamen has no rail connection, there are no logistical alternatives available here,” said Daniel Muhlenfeld, a STEAG spokesman.[14]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/german-utilities-bid-new-power-station-capacity-2024-06-06/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. (PDF) https://www.steag.com/fileadmin/user_upload/STEAG_GmbH/Media_Center/Presse/Pressemeldungen/2024/20240328_STEAG_fordert_faire_Verguetung_fuer_Reservekraftwerke.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240402164926/https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Sachgebiete/Energie/Unternehmen_Institutionen/Versorgungssicherheit/Erzeugungskapazitaeten/systemrelevante_KW/AmprionGmbH_III_28022024.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 02 April 2024. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "Coal-Fired Plants in Germany," Industcards, accessed April 2016
  5. "Jointly Operated Power Plant Bergkamen," STEAG, 2012
  6. "Steag to acquire RWE stake in Bergkamen power plant," Reuters, November 20, 2018
  7. "Kraftwerk in Bergkamen soll vorläufig stillgelegt werden," Wa.De, May 4, 2021
  8. "German auction agrees terms to close over 2,100 MW of coal power," Reuters, July 13, 2021
  9. "Aus­schrei­bung nach dem KVBG / Ge­bots­ter­min 30. April 2021," Bundesnetzagentur, July 14, 2021
  10. "Coal-fired power plants to be reconnected to the grid in the near future," Energate Messenger, July 11, 2022
  11. "STEAG ensures secure energy," STEAG, March 2, 2022
  12. "Genehmigungsbescheid der Bundesnetzagentur gemäß § 26 Abs. 2 Nr. 3 KVBG i.V.m. § 13b Abs. 5 EnWG zur Systemrelevanzausweisung des Kraftwerksblocks Bergkamen A," Bundesnetzagentur, February 28, 2024
  13. "STEAG fordert faire Vergütung für Reservekraftwerke," STEAG, March 28, 2024
  14. "A German Power Plant Just Ran Out of Coal in Latest Energy Shock," Bloomberg, October 1, 2021

Additional data

To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.