Russian throttle gas: Austria reactivates coal-fired power plant

Russian Throttle Gas
Austria reactivates dormant coal-fired power plant

06/20/2022, 07:19 am

In a bid to protect the climate, Austria shut down the last coal-fired power plant in the country in 2020. But since Gazprom is commissioning the gas taps, the Melch site will be put back on the grid, according to the federal chancellor in Vienna. But it’s not a quick fix.

In the face of Russian gas supply cuts, Austria has decided to reactivate a coal-fired power plant that has been shut down. The Federal Chancellor in Vienna has announced that the authority and the largest Austrian electricity producer, the Verband Group, are working on equipping the power plant in Melch, southern Austria, for operations with coal again. Federal Chancellor Karl Nehmer said the primary goal is to secure Austria’s gas supply.

The decision was taken by the conservative-Green government led by Nehmer after a crisis cabinet meeting on throttled gas supplies from Russia. Russian energy company Gazprom previously announced that it would reduce its natural gas deliveries to Austria – as it had previously done with Germany and Italy. Gas storage capacity in Austria stood at 39 percent in mid-June. For comparison: In Germany, the Federal Network Agency recently reported 57 percent.

The Melach Power Plant, located near Graz in Styria, was the last coal-fired power plant in Austria to be taken off the grid in the spring of 2020. The shutdown was part of the Austrian climate protection strategy, which aimed to get 100 percent electricity from renewable energy. With reactivation that has now been decided, the coal in Melch can be regenerated into energy in an emergency. According to the APA news agency, the conversion will take several months.

Chancellor Nehamer said Austria was trying to replace the missing Russian gas with other sources or other suppliers. In Germany, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck announced an increase in the use of coal-fired power plants, among other measures. This should reduce gas consumption in Germany and thus promote filling of storage facilities. The minister called the increased use of coal “bitter”, but “almost necessary in this situation”.