Hydropower: Paper factory fears for its existence - E-Werk criticizes "destruction"

The handmade paper factory survived Bismarck and the Second World War.

It could fail on the EEG 2023 - because of the endangered hydropower and then higher energy costs.

Gmund - "If politicians want to force us out, it will be difficult," says Florian Kohler.

The fourth-generation boss cares a lot about the Gmund location.

His paper factory is the only one in the world that covers more than 50 percent of its energy requirements with zero-emission hydropower.

And: In seven years, the paper mill would be 200 years old.

But it is unclear whether they still exist.

As reported in the national part, small hydropower plants in Germany should no longer receive EEG funding - this is how Robert Habeck, Federal Minister of Economics (Greens), presented it.

That would hit Kohler hard, because for him the operation of his three hydropower plants on the Mangfall puts the high electricity prices in Germany into perspective.

Florian Kohler worries about EEG failure

Kohler, thin face, round glasses, plaid shirt, has worry lines on his forehead.

While the Mangfall rushes outside, he protests: "We're not going to leave in a few weeks." He wants to stay in Gmund with the paper factory.

"We're fighting for it," he repeats, banging both fists on the table.

He is also concerned with the signal from the government.

While the French state supports its second mainstay, the Cartonnerie Jean FG, the handmade paper factory would be "hit to the core" with the EEG 2023.

He doesn't understand why.

Frank Thinnes, Technical Manager at E-Werk Tegernsee, feels the same way.

The two in-house hydroelectric power plants together produce 2,000 megawatt hours a year, he says.

Measured against figures from the comparison portal Verivox, this corresponds to the consumption of 557 average Bavarian households.

Thinnes does not want to give any figures, but explains that the proceeds should cover all costs.

"The rake cleaner, the weirs, the dams." Without EEG-regulated remuneration, the E-Werk will probably get less money, since less is paid for direct marketing (see box).

"We could be responsible for that for a certain time - but in the long term the hydroelectric power plants would probably have to close." With two percent of the electricity sold by the E-Werk, that's not a downfall.

E-Werk Tegernsee criticizes "destruction of existing infrastructure"

"But the kilowatt hours that were there before just disappear," says Thinnes.

"It's about destroying the existing infrastructure." If it weren't necessary, it would also ruin full-time power plant operators.

+++ Also read: The environmental organization WWF supports the federal government's plan to no longer promote smaller hydropower plants for electricity generation.

+++

Thinnes calls the “general claims” by nature conservation groups that small hydropower would do more harm than good “unacceptable”.

In many turbines, fish “ride the carousel without being damaged”, others are completely fish-safe up to a certain size.

"With the current bill, we see ourselves in a corner," emphasizes the technical director of the E-Werk.

Small hydropower plants are part of the energy transition - "and not their opponents".

Kohler agrees.

He, too, operates his systems out of conviction: “Hydropower is something beautiful.” During a tour, he points out brook trout that are more than the size of a pan below a hydroelectric power station in the Mangfall.

Fish would not be killed here because of the close-meshed grating in front of the inlet.

Plastic is also filtered out of the river - "a surfboard, lots of bottles and other scrap".

His power plants also protect against high and low water, says Kohler, "because we have the same interest as the local residents: consistent water levels."

Member of the Bundestag Karl Bär (Greens) wants to campaign for hydropower

Karl Bär, Greens constituency representative in the Bundestag, confirms that small power plants are "socially well accepted" and generate "mostly local added value".

There are good reasons against small hydroelectric power plants.

But: "Every kilowatt hour that would be lost would have to be replaced." The government draft weights nature conservation disadvantages higher than the contribution to electricity generation.

Bär weighs the "not so".

He can imagine a regulation like that in the EEG by 2014: At that time, operators were pressured to comply with water ecological standards.

Bär explains that the draft stipulates that "hydropower up to 500 kW will no longer receive EEG funding in the case of modernization or new construction".

So there is not no more money immediately, but small systems are gradually being given up.

"We can't afford to shut down small hydropower plants right now," he says.

The Bavarian state group is committed to regional concerns.

"But I can't promise that it will always be successful."

This is how EEG funding and the EEG surcharge work

Anyone who operates a hydroelectric power station and is subsidized by the Renewable Energy Sources Act (

) can feed electricity into the grid at a fixed rate – the feed-in tariff.

Tegernsee, which is

responsible for Florian Kohler, for example , is subject to the

to receive electricity, so it has to buy the electricity produced by the handmade paper factory.

In return, E-Werk pays the

in tariff of

per kilowatt hour to Kohler.

The E-Werk passes on the costs for the electricity purchased in this way to the

, Tennet, which in turn

offers the electricity on the

In most cases, however, the electricity generates

there than the price that has already been paid to Kohler.

The transmission system operator gets

this

.

It is collected from the electricity distributors via the general

.

Kohler confirms that he can

only

of his hydropower with the

in this way .

If hydroelectric power plants up to 500 kW were no longer subsidized via the EEG, Kohler and others would be able to market the electricity

on the

.

However, Frank Thinnes, Technical Director of the Tegernsee E-Werk, expects that

than the feed-in tariff under the EEG.

As a result, the proceeds may no longer be sufficient

to

- and small hydroelectric power plants would have to

in this case from an economic point of view .

This affects the two hydroelectric power plants in the Tegernsee valley, which the

Tegernsee operates, the three plants from

and one plant from the

family in Gmund.

Since the paper mill only feeds in electricity outside of operating hours, such as at the weekend or during the company holidays - the factory consumes it itself during operation - the feed-in tariff is not calculated on more than two out of seven weekdays (around

).

"That's a lot," says Kohler.

is

and

.

Because of the high electricity prices, it is also about the

location Gmund for the factory.

snap

In Holzkirchen, too, private water wheel owners are struggling with the impending EEG abolition.

They had invested 250,000 euros in the system.

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