Energy Executive Questions Ambitious Plans for New Gas Power Plants
Georg Stamatelopoulos, the head of German energy company EnBW, has expressed skepticism about the plans of the new German government’s economic minister, Katherina Reiche, to build 40 new gas power plants by 2030. The former Eon manager’s proposal aims to ensure a stable power supply during the energy transition.
Stamatelopoulos, in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, described the government’s plans as “extremely ambitious.” He will meet with Reiche and other energy industry representatives at the BDEW Congress in Berlin on Thursday and Friday.
The EnBW chief also referred to a study by the think tank Aurora Energy Research, commissioned by the company, which suggests that the energy infrastructure upgrade could be up to 700 million euros less expensive than the Bundesnetzagentur’s estimates. This, he said, is due in part to a slower-than-expected growth in electricity consumption. While the networks need to be expanded, Stamatelopoulos argued that they do not need to be as extensive as previously thought.
“The danger is that we build an infrastructure that will not be used” he warned.
Stamatelopoulos also discussed the EnBW’s restructuring efforts, having hired 3,000 new employees last year. The company plans to replace retiring baby boomers and add around 1,500 new positions, the executive said.