Uniper: Electricity production at risk - due to low water in the Rhine

Created: 04/08/2022 14:24

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

According to Uniper, the low water level in the Rhine endangers the supply of coal for the Staudinger 5 power plant in Hesse.

(Archive image) © Matthias Balk/dpa/Symbolbild

The low water level in the Rhine endangers the supply of coal for the Staudinger 5 power plant in Hesse.

Uniper may therefore have to reduce electricity production there in the next few weeks.

Düsseldorf – The persistent heat and drought are causing problems for German water bodies such as the Rhine, Danube and Neckar.

The low water paralyzes ferries and restricts shipping;

the first boats have to be pulled ashore from the ports of Lake Constance.

Now the low water level in the Rhine is even endangering the supply of coal for the Staudinger 5 power plant in Großkrotzenburg in Hesse.

Uniper: Low water in the Rhine threatens electricity production at the Staudinger 5 power plant

The energy company Uniper may therefore have to throttle electricity production there in the next few weeks, as a company spokesman said on Thursday in Düsseldorf.

On the ad hoc ticker of the EEX energy exchange, the company reported that irregularities in the operation of the 510 megawatt power plant could occur until September 7 due to limited coal reserves.

According to the company, the Staudinger power plant is the largest conventional power plant in Hesse.

Uniper's block 5, which is fired with hard coal, is currently the only one used on the electricity market.

Block 4 (622 megawatts), which is fired with natural gas, is maintained by the network operator Tennet for network stabilization purposes and as reserve capacity.

In addition, the city of Hanau and the local community would be supplied with district heating from the power plant.

Low water in Germany hinders freight shipping

The Federal Association of German Inland Shipping (BDB) only warned in Duisburg on Wednesday: "The current low water is increasingly impeding freight shipping in Germany.

Shipping is one of the "systemically relevant factors" for the transport of coal, grain, animal feed, building materials, mineral oil, containers and industrial raw materials, emphasized the BDB.

The water levels, which have been falling for weeks, especially on the Rhine, Elbe and Danube, mean that ships can only take part of the usual cargo to avoid running aground.