Re: Germany closing non-nuclear power plants

["Tom Savin" <lexicon@hotbot.com>]

 This is a great political move and will probably get the majority of the German people (who are in favor of Cheaper nuclear power) start to think and act!  I say horray!

                  With best regards to all - Tom
--

On Thu, 31 Aug 2000 07:04:58   Franta, Jaroslav wrote:
>
>
>http://nucnet.aey.ch/nucnet/news.html#News_1
>25 August 2000
>E.ON Pulling Plug On Non-Nuclear Power Plants
>Germany's newly-formed power giant E.ON is preparing to close down a number
>of its power plants to cut operating costs and reduce generating
>over-capacity.
>However, despite plans by Germany's Red-Green coalition government for a
>nuclear phase-out, E.ON intends to concentrate on closing non-nuclear power
>plants. The move, which is expected to lead to the loss of up to 2600 jobs,
>was outlined by E.ON Energie chairman Hans-Dieter Harig, whose comments
>about the utility's future can be downloaded in German from the company's
>Web site at www.eon-energie.de/presse/cont4_1.htm.
>Now the head of the nuclear and hydro power plants division of E.ON's
>Bayernwerk subsidiary, Dieter Brosche, has confirmed the company will target
>fossil-fuel and hydro power plants and not nuclear sites.
>Prof. Brosche, speaking during a visit to the Czech Republic's Temelin
>nuclear power plant, said: "The liberalisation of the market caused a
>drastic drop in electricity prices, which means that many power plants
>operate at the edge of economic profitability. My own company has to decide
>to produce electricity or import it from abroad. Another important factor is
>whether we can produce it as cheaply as it can be bought abroad."
>Prof. Brosche said that, although Bayernwerk had recently commissioned a
>lignite power plant in eastern Germany, "the next step is the
>decommissioning of uneconomical power plants".
>"For example, we decommissioned a coal-fired power station with an output of
>300 MW in the north of Bavaria because the cost of buying and transporting
>coal did not make it profitable to run the plant. The first power plants to
>close will be these smaller ones, and also some hydro plants, because their
>operating costs are too high."
>He also highlighted the environmental dilemma caused by Germany's
>anti-nuclear stance. He said: "Chancellor Gerhard Schrvder said recently
>that it will be necessary to build coal-fired plants and, in the same
>breath, that CO2 emissions must be reduced by 25% by 2005. I really do not
>know how the two can be achieved together. If nuclear plants stay in
>operation we can make it - but without nuclear, the goal is unachievable.
>"We certainly do not plan to shut down operating nuclear power plants. I
>personally believe in the renaissance of nuclear engineering in Europe... I
>cannot see a country that would want to follow Germany," he said, adding
>that:
>France's existing nuclear power plants would remain operational because the
>country would not turn its back on such an "advantageous" provider of
>electricity.
>US utilities continue to successfully apply for extensions to operating
>licences for nuclear power plants - and reduce operating costs.
>In Sweden, there is increasing support for keeping Barsebdck-2 running while
>Finland is considering building a new nuclear plant.
>Mr. Brosche, who was visiting Temelin under the Czech-German nuclear
>co-operation agreement, said the "modern" plant had safety levels comparable
>to those of European plants. Click here to view NucNet's news feature on
>Temelin nuclear power plant.
>
>http://www.uic.com.au/wns0825.htm
>25 August 2000
>German utility closing down non-nuclear plants.
>The newly-formed utility E.ON, now Germany's largest, is to close down a
>number of uneconomic smaller power plants, all of which are coal-fired or
>hydroelectric rather than nuclear. E.ON operates 12 of the country's nuclear
>plants and also holds 36% of Sweden's Sydkraft, owner of Barseback-2, which
>was threatened with closure by that country's government. However, recent
>announcements suggest that as in Germany, the nuclear plant's closure has
>been deferred indefinitely.
>ENS NucNet news # 275 & 281/00, business news # 80 & 96.
>
>
>
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