Bergkamen power station

From Global Energy Monitor

Bergkamen power station (Bergkamen-Heil Kraftwerk) is an operating power station of at least 20-megawatts (MW) in Bergkamen, Unna, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Bergkamen-Heil Kraftwerk.

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)[1]
Loading map...

Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Biomass, CC1, Unit A: 51.636678, 7.620603

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology CHP Start year Retired year
Biomass Operating[2] bioenergy: wood & other biomass (solids)[2] 20[2] 2005[2]
CC1, timepoint 1 Pre-construction[3][4][5] fossil gas: natural gas[3] 900[6] combined cycle[3] 2030 (planned)[4][7]
CC1, timepoint 2 Announced[3] other: hydrogen (unknown), fossil gas: natural gas[3] 900[6] combined cycle[3][8] 2035 (planned)
Unit A Mothballed[9] coal: bituminous 780 subcritical yes 1981 2026 (planned)[10]

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
Biomass STEAG GmbH [100%][11] Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA
CC1, timepoint 1 STEAG GmbH [100%][11] Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA
CC1, timepoint 2 STEAG GmbH [100%][11] Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA
Unit A STEAG GmbH [100%][11] Asterion Industrial Partners SGEIC SA

Unit-level fuel conversion details:

CC1: Announced conversion from fossil gas to other in 2035.

Table 4: Unit-level hydrogen conversion proposal details

Unit name H2 ready turbine (%)? MOU for H2 supply? Contract for H2 supply? Financing for supply of H2? Co-located with electrolyzer/H2 production facility? What % of H2 blending currently?
Biomass
CC1, timepoint 1
CC1, timepoint 2[12][13] NF NF NF Y
Unit A

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Background

The 780 MW plant was commissioned in 1981. It was jointly owned by RWE and STEAG.[14][15] In 2018, German utility STEAD announced it was acquiring RWE’s stake in the plant.[16]

In May 2021, STEAG announced that the power plant would be shut down.[17]

A 2021 auction finalized terms to close over 2,100 MW of coal power, including the Bergkamen A plant by October 2022.[18][19]

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.[20] In March 2022, STEAG had still planned to decommission the plant later that year.[21]

In February 2024, the power station was approved as "systemically relevant" through March 31, 2026.[22]

In April 2024, the power station was mothballed.[23]

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.[24]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/4670340. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Marktstammdatenregister (Market master data register)". Germany Federal Network Agency. 2023-02. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2023-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |access-date= and |date= (help)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/german-utilities-bid-new-power-station-capacity-2024-06-06/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. 4.0 4.1 (PDF) https://www.duh.de/fileadmin/user_upload/download/Projektinformation/Energiewende/Fraunhofer_ISI_DUH_H2Readiness.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/iqony-solutions_as-team-iqony-we-are-planning-the-construction-activity-7221474236257763328-zefp. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. 6.0 6.1 https://www.wa.de/lokales/bergkamen/energiewende-am-kraftwerk-heil-gas-block-mit-wasserstoff-option-geplant-93107846.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. https://hydrogen-central.com/germany-iqony-eyes-plans-for-three-hydrogen-ready-gas-plants/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. https://www.power-technology.com/news/iqony-hydrogen-ready-gas-power-plants/?cf-view. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. (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)
  10. Bundesnetzagentur (2024-02-28). "Genehmigungsbescheid der Bundesnetzagentur" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-04-02.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 https://www.steag-iqony-group.com/en/medien/presse/new-training-prospects-for-bergkamen-power-plant-site. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. https://www.iqony.energy/en/press/invitation-to-public-dialog. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. https://www.eon.com/en/about-us/media/press-release/2024/hydrogen-cluster-for-bergkamen.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. "Coal-Fired Plants in Germany," Industcards, accessed April 2016
  15. "Jointly Operated Power Plant Bergkamen," STEAG, 2012
  16. "Steag to acquire RWE stake in Bergkamen power plant," Reuters, November 20, 2018
  17. "Kraftwerk in Bergkamen soll vorläufig stillgelegt werden," Wa.De, May 4, 2021
  18. "German auction agrees terms to close over 2,100 MW of coal power," Reuters, July 13, 2021
  19. "Aus­schrei­bung nach dem KVBG / Ge­bots­ter­min 30. April 2021," Bundesnetzagentur, July 14, 2021
  20. "Coal-fired power plants to be reconnected to the grid in the near future," Energate Messenger, July 11, 2022
  21. "STEAG ensures secure energy," STEAG, March 2, 2022
  22. "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
  23. "STEAG fordert faire Vergütung für Reservekraftwerke," STEAG, March 28, 2024
  24. "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 Bioenergy Power Tracker, the Global Coal Plant Tracker, and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.