Mehrum power station

From Global Energy Monitor

Mehrum power station is a power station in Hohenhameln, Peine, Lower Saxony, Germany with multiple units of varying statuses, none of which are currently operating. It is also known as Multium.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Mehrum power station Hohenhameln, Peine, Lower Saxony, Germany 52.315108, 10.093756 (exact)
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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

  • Block 1, Unit 3: 52.315108, 10.093756

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name Status Fuel(s) Capacity (MW) Technology Start year Retired year
Block 1 Announced[1] fossil gas: natural gas[1] 1200[1] combined cycle[1]
Unit 3 Retired[2] coal: bituminous 750 subcritical 1979 2024[2]

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
Block 1 Kraftwerk Mehrum GmbH [100%] Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100.0%]
Unit 3 Kraftwerk Mehrum GmbH [100%] Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [100.0%]

Ownership Tree

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

Background

The power station consisted of a 752 MW subcritical coal unit commissioned in 1979. Blocks A and B were decommissioned.[3]

Reserve capacity & retirement

The coal plant was reportedly retired in 2021 as part of the country's 2038 coal phase-out plan[4] and was expected to be fully offline by 2022.[5]

In December 2021, a decommissioning premium agreed upon in Spring 2021 took effect. However, the firing of the coal delivered via the Mittelland Canal in Mehrum was reportedly not quite over. According to management, a small reserve capacity would be kept available for around four more weeks in the summer of 2022. The network operator Tennet was then expected to connect a new switchgear near the plant. The power plant was listed as belonging to "the EPH holding of Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky," and the 120+ employees were expected to transfer to the former owner Enercity, the former Stadtwerke Hannover, after the shutdown.[5]

In June 2022, energy security concerns caused by the war in Ukraine left the fate of the plant unknown. The government considered bringing the plant back online, along with several other coal-fired power stations.[6]

In August 2022, the power station was brought back online. It was the first power station in Germany to be registered for recommissioning from the reserve, and it was authorized to run through April 2023.[7]

In March 2024, the power station was officially retired.[8]

Articles and Resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://www.uvp-verbund.de/trefferanzeige?docuuid=8aa50135-8a84-4107-8510-4ef885430b90&rstart=380&currentSelectorPage=1&f=. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/mehrum-kohlekraftwerk-geht-vom-netz-100.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Mehrum Coal Power Plant Germany," GEO, accessed April 2016
  4. "Germany awards second round of permits to close hard coal plants," euractiv, April 2, 2021
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Kraftwerke Deuben und Mehrum gehen vom Netz," Energie & Management, December 7, 2021
  6. "Lies: Kohlekraftwerk Mehrum könnte am Netz bleiben," NDR, June 21, 2022
  7. "Mehrum coal-fired power plant is back on the grid," Energate Messenger, August 1, 2022
  8. "Kohlekraftwerk Mehrum geht endgültig vom Netz," tagesschau, March 28, 2024

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.