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ENERGY

Electricity network head says no danger of blackouts

The head of Germany’s electricity network agency Matthias Kurth accused energy companies of trying to create and exploit panic with talk of electricity blackouts in the event that nuclear power stations are shut down.

Electricity network head says no danger of blackouts
Photo: DPA

Kurth told Der Spiegel the debate over whether the lights across Germany will be kept on at all times was, “often superficial and interest-led.”

When asked whether the fear of blackouts was nonsense, he said, “It certainly has a justified basis. But the way in which the topic of security of supply is being discussed is often not helpful. We have only started to gather data on what effect the shut-down of eight nuclear power stations at the same time is having on electricity supply.”

Germany’s oldest nuclear power stations were closed down in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, while all such stations will now be subjected to safety checks.

Kurth said he could not simply sit back and say everything would be fine, admitting that never before in his experience had so much reliable electricity supply been removed from the network so quickly. But he said there was no danger of a blackout.

“Our checks show that the effect of the moratorium is manageable. Although responsible and prudent action is more necessary than ever,” he said.

He was asked whether the warnings from Johannes Teyssen and Jürgen Großmann, heads of electricity generators EON and RWE respectively, that the network could collapse, were responsible.

“I think that using the fear of a blackout is less than rewarding,” he said.

“Technically and also legally, there are many possible methods of directing and steering power stations in order to prevent a collapse of the network,” he said.

One possible problem could be the greater Hamburg region this summer, he admitted. He said the Krümmel and Brünsbuttel nuclear power stations have been shut down for repairs while the Unterweser nuclear power station has been closed by the moratorium.

The Brokdorf one is set to be closed for checks between June 11 and 30, which could endanger continuity of supply.

He said there were various options such as delaying the work slated for Brokdorf, or taking on supplies from other power stations for the region. It was necessary to work out an approach now, he said.

Other, longer term measures could include the re-firing of coal powered electricity stations to stabilise the network, which he admitted would not be ideal.

The Local/hc

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BUSINESS

France’s EDF hails €10billion profit, despite huge UK nuclear charge

French energy giant EDF has unveiled net profit of €10billion and cut its massive debt by increasing nuclear production after problems forced some plants offline.

France's EDF hails €10billion profit, despite huge UK nuclear charge

EDF hailed an “exceptional” year after its loss of €17.9billion in 2022.

Sales slipped 2.6 percent to €139.7billion , but the group managed to slice debt by €10billion euros to €54.4billion.

EDF said however that it had booked a €12.9 billion depreciation linked to difficulties at its Hinkley Point nuclear plant in Britain.

The charge includes €11.2 billion for Hinkley Point assets and €1.7billion at its British subsidiary, EDF Energy, the group explained.

EDF announced last month a fresh delay and additional costs for the giant project hit by repeated cost overruns.

“The year was marked by many events, in particular by the recovery of production and the company’s mobilisation around production recovery,” CEO Luc Remont told reporters.

EDF put its strong showing down to a strong operational performance, notably a significant increase in nuclear generation in France at a time of historically high prices.

That followed a drop in nuclear output in France in 2022. The group had to deal with stress corrosion problems at some reactors while also facing government orders to limit price rises.

The French reactors last year produced around 320.4 TWh, in the upper range of expectations.

Nuclear production had slid back in 2022 to 279 TWh, its lowest level in three decades, because of the corrosion problems and maintenance changes after
the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hinkley Point C is one of a small number of European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs) worldwide, an EDF-led design that has been plagued by cost overruns
running into billions of euros and years of construction delays.

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