Heilbronn power station
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Heilbronn power station is an operating power station of at least 1066-megawatts (MW) in Heilbronn, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as HLB7 (Unit 7).
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Heilbronn power station | Heilbronn, Heilbronn, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany | 49.175277, 9.207428 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7: 49.175277, 9.207428
- Unit A: 49.17528, 9.20743
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 | retired | coal - bituminous | 110 | subcritical | – | 1958 | 2015 |
| Unit 4 | retired | coal - bituminous | 110 | subcritical | – | 1960 | 2015 |
| Unit 5 | operating | coal - bituminous | 125 | subcritical | – | 1965 | 2026 (planned) |
| Unit 6 | operating | coal - bituminous | 125 | subcritical | – | 1966 | 2026 (planned) |
| Unit 7 | operating | coal - bituminous | 816 | subcritical | – | 1985 | 2026 (planned) |
| Unit A | pre-construction[1][2][3] | gas[4] | 800[4][2] | combined cycle[1] | yes[5] | 2026[6][1][1] | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 3 | EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 4 | EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 5 | EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 6 | EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 7 | EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG (EnBW) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit A | SWB Erzeugung GmbH & Co. KG[7] | EWE AG |
Background
The power station was first commissioned in 1923. Of the original seven units, three are still in operation. Units 5-6 of 125 MW each were commissioned in 1965-66. Unit 7 of 816 MW was commissioned in 1985.[8][9][10]
Units 5 and 6 were planned to be retired on March 31, 2020.[10] However, as of January 2021, Bundesnetzagentur stated that both units were legally prevented from decommissioning.[11][12] As of June 2021, that status still was in effect.[13]
ENBW had proposed to add additional installed capacity of 750 megawatts coal-fired and 400 megawatts of gas-fired capacity. In June 2006, ENBW announced that the "preliminary planning for a new power plant on the Heilbronn site would not be continued for the imminent investment cycle". Prof. Dr. Thomas Hartkopf, the Chief Technical Officer of EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG stated in a media release that "difficult supply with power plant gas on the Heilbronn site and the resulting unfavourable economic aspects of a new combined gas and steam turbine plant, as well as the special situation at the Neckar site, which leads to comparatively high logistical costs for the supply of coal."[14]
In 2021, Energie Baden-Württemberg presented a new proposal for a gas fired power plant to replace Unit 7 by 2026.[15] The new unit is touted as being able to include hydrogen within its mix of natural gas to use for combustion.[16]
As of March 2022, the full plant was slated for retirement by 2026.[17]
In September 2022, the plant was in the news due to ongoing drought along the Rhine River. The low water levels where impacting coal shipments, and a shortage was reported by EnBW.[18]
In November 2022, Siemens Energy provided the assurance they would be shipping turbines able to process up to 75% hydrogen admixture in 2025.[19]
In February 2023, Unit 7's flue duct collapsed, causing "major damage". The unit would be out of service for an unknown amount of time.[20]
In August 2023, Germany's Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) ordered the closure of Heilbronn's coal Unit 7 within 30 months, following low turnout at its last auction to provide compensation for early retirement of coal plants. BNetzA ordered the uncompensated closure of the oldest units in Germany to meet annual coal capacity reduction targets from 2027 until the current legislated end date target of 2038.[21][22]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20220709012222/https://www.energate-messenger.com/news/213988/enbw-converts-heilbronn-combined-heat-and-power-plant-to-gas. Archived from the original on 09 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/heilbronn/neues-gaskraftwerk-geplant-klimaschuetzer-dagegen-100.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230922142231/https://www.enbw.com/company/the-group/energy-production/new-buildings-and-major-projects/heilbronn-power-plant/project-diary.html. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20220104185338/https://www.enbw.com/unternehmen/konzern/energieerzeugung/neubau-und-projekte/kraftwerk-heilbronn/technik.html. Archived from the original on 04 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20221006144147/https://www.enbw.com/company/the-group/energy-production/fossil-fuel/locations.html. Archived from the original on 06 October 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220716090421/https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/heilbronn/enbw-gasknappheit-umstellung-kohlekraftwerk-heilbronn-100.html. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20170610144521/http://globalenergyobservatory.org/geoid/44464. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Heilbronn Coal CHP Power Plant Germany," GEO, accessed April 2016
- ↑ "Heilbronn thermal power station," ENDW, accessed April 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Kraftwerk Heilbronn," Wikipedia, accessed November 15, 2019
- ↑ Kraftwerksliste, ID BNA0432 Bundesnetzagentur (German Federal Network Agency), version from January 2021
- ↑ Kraftwerksliste, ID BNA0433 Bundesnetzagentur (German Federal Network Agency), version from January 2021
- ↑ "Kraftwerksstilllegungsliste der Bundesnetzagentur" (PDF). Bundesnetzagentur. June 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ ENBW, "Site assessment completed for the construction of new power plants: Heilbronn will continue to be an important power plant site in the future for EnBW", Media Release, June 29, 2006
- ↑ "Von Kohle über Erdgas zu Wasserstoff". EnBw Unternehmen. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "EnBW converts Heilbronn combined heat and power plant to gas - energate messenger.com". www.energate-messenger.com. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ↑ "Russisches Erdgas und die EnBW-Pläne für die Stadt", Rhein Neckar Zeitung, March 24, 2022
- ↑ "German Power Plants Warn of Coal Shortage Amid Low River Levels", Bloomberg, September 2, 2022
- ↑ Patel, Sonal (November 17, 2022). "Siemens Energy Seals Deal for Hydrogen-Ready Coal-to-Gas Switch". Power Magazine. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Damage to unit 7 of the Heilbronn power plant", EnBW, February 6, 2023
- ↑ "Ergebnisse der letzten Ausschreibung zum Kohleausstieg," Bundesnetzagentur, August 25, 2023
- ↑ "Low turnout in Germany's final auction for early coal power plant shutdowns," Clean Energy Wire, August 28, 2023
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datases, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
