Priming the EU power sector Earlier this month, keynote speakers at PowerGen Europe in Vienna urged European governments to cooperate on a framework that would invigorate the sluggish power market. They called on policymakers to consider the “age of technologies” when deciding on sources of power to support and called for an end to “uncertain legislation-making.” Political interventions, they said, do not encourage new investments in the power market. In particular they pointed out the persistent over-dependence on renewable power without complimentary fossil fuel back-up. Reinhold Mitterlehner, Austria’s Federal Minister of the Economy, dramatized the problem “as gas plants shut down and coal plants run full throttle.” He warned that without immediate action Europe would see increased unemployment and fall behind its international competitors. Philippe Cochet, President of Alstom Thermal Power, echoed the Minister’s comments. Cochet was concerned by the recent mothballing or closure of Europe’s gas-fired plants. This, he said, is the result of weak electricity demand, the strong penetration of renewables, a low carbon price and the availability of cheap coal resulting from the U.S. shale gas boom which has released low-cost coal for export. Marc Hall, Director for Energy at Wiener Stadtwerke, said that cooperation among nations was vital because there was no simple solution for Europe’s energy problems. “No country is independent in the field of energy,” added Turkey’s Deputy Energy Minister, Hasan Murat Mercan, who told delegates that Turkey plans to double its energy investments in the next decade and oversee the construction of three new nuclear power plants. It intends to develop 200 GW of wind power in the next 10-12 years, as well as 600 MW of solar. See the July/August2013 Issue for the complete PGE story as well as a comprehensive report on the ASME/IGTI Show in San Antonio.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:31:12 +0000
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