In 2017, the people of Munich decided in a referendum: The coal-fired power plant in Oberföhring should be shut down - if possible by 2022.
Munich - The wind whirls 22 black balloons
back and forth
on the
power plant site in Unterföhring
.
They stand for 22 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, for which the
Stadtwerke München (SWM)
are responsible,
according to
environmentalists
, if they - as planned -
build
a
new gas-fired power
plant.
Around 40 supporters of the citizens' initiatives “Fossil free Munich” and “Raus aus der Steinkohle” demonstrated against the controversial project on Friday - first in Unterföhring, then on
Marienplatz *
.
Background: SWM decided
to build
a so-called
gas and steam turbine power plant (CCGT)
in Unterföhring
.
On the one hand, this could
generate electricity
efficiently
, but at the same time also
generate heat
for the Munich and southern Bavarian district heating networks.
It is intended to replace the coal-fired Block 2 in the Nord Heizkraftwerk, the end of which the Munich-based
citizens
voted
for in 2017
.
The completion of the new combined cycle power plant is planned for 2026/2027, only after that the old coal-fired power plant could go offline.
Munich: Protests against coal-fired power plants - "Many more years of large CO2 emissions"
"After the coal block has been shut down, the new power plant will generate
large CO2 emissions
for many years to come,
" protester Helmut Paschlau criticizes.
He was a member of the Energy Commission of the
City of Munich *
and was once
jointly responsible
for the
construction of the coal-fired power plant
as SWM's commercial project manager
.
“At that time, nobody knew anything about CO2 emissions,” he says.
Today he is certain that continuing to rely on fossil fuels is irresponsible to the younger generation.
Especially since Munich has set itself the ambitious goal of being
climate neutral by 2035
.
"Building a gas-fired power plant now is
not justifiable in terms of climate policy,
" the 69-year-old complains.
The SWM see an improvement through the new building: The CO2 emissions per kilowatt hour of electricity should be reduced to
less than a third of the current value
with the CCGT 3
.
Not enough for climate protectors.
Munich: Protests against coal power plant - community wants to prevent project
For their part, the municipal utilities argue that in
20 years' time
the CCGT could be operated in a
climate-neutral
manner
with hydrogen or biomethane
- but it is still not certain whether these energy alternatives will be sufficiently available in the future.
There is also headwind from the municipality of Unterföhring: They want to
prevent
the
project by means of a development plan
.
Meanwhile, the power plant opponents want a different solution: They are demanding the
expansion of several small power plants
in Munich.
“That could be the solution to the supply gap,” says Paschlau.
An agreement in the
dispute over the new power plant
is far from in sight.
(Stéphanie Mercier) * tz.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network