Stakeholder comments on the Moorburg plant
Frank Horch President of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Federation of Hamburg Industries (Industrieverband Hamburg, IVH).
"Today 10% of Germany’s electricity is based on gas. Lignite and hard coal account for half of the electricity market. To replace coal with gas, the input of gas would have to be nearly five times higher… So much gas is not available in the market, and it also would have a great impact on the price of electricity."
Sigmar Gabriel Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, government declaration to climate policy of federal government, 26 April 2007, Berlin.
"Fossil fuels, and especially coal, will continue to be used in the newly industrialised nations of India and China for a long time to come. And for this very reason, the leading technology countries must do all they can to ensure that technologies for the "clean" usage of coal are ready for use to a broad extent. And this also includes the capture and storage of carbon dioxide through CCS technology."
Klaus Töpfer Former Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi; quoted in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, 31 March 2008.
NGO criticism of Moorburg plant
Construction of the Moorburg plant has been criticised by nature conservation and environmental protection organisations such as Greenpeace as well as by national organisations such as BUND, Robin Wood, etc. Their argument against the Moorburg plant is that its size is not necessary for Hamburg’s energy needs, and that a smaller district heating plant would be enough. Opponents also argue that the Moorburg power plant will have a negative impact on the climate for decades to come and that it will prevent the development of renewable energies. They argue that alternatives such as gas power plants or block heating plants, and an increased usage of renewable energies, should be considered. According to these NGOs, a gas-fired plant combined with other technologies would have a lesser environmental impact.
Efficiency of the Moorburg plant
The new power plant will have an electrical net efficiency of 46.5%, which is very high compared with power plants around the world. The continuous cogeneration of heat and power will result in a a fuel utilisation rate of up to 61%. The Moorburg power plant will produce approximately 750 g CO 2 per kilowatt hour delivered to the grid (g/kWh net), compared with approximately 1,001 g/kWh for older coal-fired power plants in the EU.
Source: Plant data and World Energy Outlook 2008, IEA
What are base and peak loads?
The term base load describes electricity or district heating demand that exists irrespective of all load fluctuations. This constant demand is met by power plants that operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Mid-load is the demand that occurs during only certain hours of every day in addition to the base load. Short-term peak demand is called peak load. Various types of power plants are used to cover the different load types – for example, coal and nuclear power plants for the base electricity load, and gas power and pumped storage plants for peaks. Wind power and photovoltaic (solar) power generate variable power, i.e., fluctuations in the supply of energy with no relation to demand. Regulating power, such as hydro power, is used to balance short-term differences between supply and demand.
