Germany awards €12 billion for 5 GW of gas plants as coal shuts down

LEAG, whose parent EP Group is controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, won seven gas blocks: four of about 560 MW each at its Jänschwalde site in Brandenburg, two at Boxberg in Saxony and a 320 MW unit at Leipheim in Bavaria. Installed capacity totals about 3,680 MW, or roughly 2,998 MW under the tender's reduced-capacity rating, Construction Review Online reported. LEAG puts its investment at €1.5 billion to €2 billion and says building on existing plant sites and grid connections saves money, material and time.

RWE's three combined-cycle plants will go up at Voerde (730 MW), Weisweiler and Werne (700 MW each), all in North Rhine-Westphalia and all designed to take hydrogen later. Before the results came out, RWE had hired international consortia to prepare permit documents, booked factory slots for the main equipment and started approvals, Power Technology reported. Uniper won nothing in this round.

Winners get capacity payments for 15 years, funded through a levy on electricity bills. The average award was €155,296 per megawatt, well under the €244,000 ceiling. The whole program targets 11 to 12 GW and could cost up to €35.2 billion, with more rounds in December and in 2027. The Federal Network Agency, which runs the tender, was expected to announce the next round's date on Nov. 10.