Obrigheim combined cycle gas turbine plant

No, the key prerequisite for a decision to build the project would be the awarding of the contract in the auction because that is the only way it would be economically viable. In addition, the project is still undergoing the approval process. Any decision to build the project will depend on the political conditions and the tendering processes within the context of the Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act. A final investment decision would be linked to successful auction participation.

Dispatchable power generation capacity is needed in Baden-Württemberg in order to reliably meet the demand for electricity at all times. Renewable energy sources cannot continuously meet this demand, and coal power plants should no longer be used for this purpose in the future due to their carbon emissions. Even though battery storage systems are dispatchable, they are only available for short periods of time (no more than a few hours) when needed. For this reason, gas power plants that can later be converted to use hydrogen as an energy source are set to close the existing gap.

In our view, the EnBW site in Obrigheim is well suited to the construction of such a gas power plant in Baden-Württemberg. The planned combined cycle gas turbine plant in Obrigheim is primarily designed to deliver a flexible electricity supply when there is insufficient wind and solar energy or grid stability needs to be maintained. Battery storage systems can only do this for a short period of time. Without the plant, coal power plants that produce significantly higher carbon emissions would have to provide the necessary cover in the longer term

The task of dismantling the Obrigheim nuclear power plant is a complex project. It has reached an advanced stage, but is not yet complete. EnBW is currently going on the assumption that work to dismantle the power plant in line with nuclear power legislation can be completed in the early 2030s. Until then, the plant site is subject to monitoring under nuclear power legislation and therefore cannot be considered for reuse parallel to dismantling. However, it is not possible to wait that long to commence power plant projects aimed at meeting the demand for dispatchable power generation capacity, and the provisions of the Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act are expected to require the commissioning of a new power plant in Obrigheim in the early 2030s.

No decision has yet been made in this regard, particularly since the site is not expected to be available until the early 2030s. Given the site’s good accessibility, its existing infrastructure and the stipulation in the state regional plans that it must be used for “energy-related” purposes, it stands to reason that energy in the broadest sense will feature in any future use.

The term “energy transition” describes the path from electricity generation based on carbon emissions to carbon-free electricity generation. In this sense, a multistage decarbonization process involving one element of energy generation infrastructure also represents part of the energy transition. Even when operated using natural gas, a modern combined cycle gas turbine plant emits only half as much carbon per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated as a modern coal power plant, thus representing a first step toward decarbonizing electricity generation in a comparatively swift and cost-effective manner.

In terms of the energy transition and reducing gases that have an impact on the climate, it is not the installed power plant capacity that matters, but the amount of electricity generated in each power plant. The level of electricity demand in the market is driven by the consumers. For electricity generation and effective climate change mitigation, the question of which carbon emissions can be used to meet demand then becomes relevant. If building a new and highly efficient gas power plant (which can generate one kilowatt-hour of electricity with carbon emissions of around 370 g) results in a coal power plant previously operating in the intermediate range (with carbon emissions of over 800 g per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated) being transferred to the grid reserve, where, based on experience, it will only run for a small number of hours per year, this will really help to reduce carbon emissions, making it a key component of the energy transition. Investing in new dispatchable power plant capacity is also the basic requirement for gradually being able to completely decommission older coal power plants that have been transferred to the grid reserve on account of their system relevance.

Natural gas (or methane) and hydrogen (H2) have very different properties, which means that it will always be necessary to convert a power plant before making the switch from natural gas to hydrogen. The key advantage of an H₂-ready power plant, however, is the fact that this conversion is technically possible in the first place, having already been taken into account in the basic design of the power plant components. As a result, the cost of subsequent conversions will only run to a small, single-digit percentage of the original investment cost. It is important that power plants like the one planned for Obrigheim can be converted with relatively little complexity as soon as hydrogen is available in sufficient quantities and at competitive prices. We are ultimately aiming to use 100 percent hydrogen. If natural gas is still needed for technical reasons following the switch to hydrogen – to start up the turbines, for example – this will only produce a small amount of carbon emissions due to the short start-up time of the turbines.

That is difficult to predict at this point in time because it depends on many factors. The main questions here relate to when a sufficiently powerful connection to the planned upstream hydrogen core network will be possible. Then the hydrogen must be available on the market in sufficient quantities and must ultimately also be able to compete with other fuels in terms of cost, especially natural gas. The last point could also be achieved through regulatory measures, for example, such as two separate hydrogen tendering processes, as set out in the cabinet resolution relating to the Electricity Supply Security and Capacity Act. On the other hand, a binding switch to hydrogen or climate-neutral operation of the plants is also required from 2045 as part of the regulatory framework. Based on current estimates, EnBW expects a changeover date sometime in the second half of the 2030s.

EnBW’s clear aim is to use green hydrogen. During the ramp-up phase in particular, however, it may well be that green hydrogen alone would not be available in sufficient quantities or would still be too expensive due to the existing cost structure. Among other things, this would delay the switch to hydrogen. Blue hydrogen, which is produced in a process known as steam methane reforming, is much more cost-effective. The CO₂ that is produced in this process is captured before being permanently stored. Blue hydrogen is therefore a sensible bridging option, not least because the actual product is essentially identical to green hydrogen, which means that it can gradually be substituted by green hydrogen at a later date without having to make further changes to the power plant technology or supply pipelines. We therefore consider it legitimate to look for cheaper ways to achieve the desired decarbonization of dispatchable electricity generation, even if this may involve intermediate steps – via so-called blue hydrogen, for example. For this reason, EnBW is advocating approval of the use of blue hydrogen within the regulatory framework, but that in itself is not the same as EnBW solely wanting to use blue hydrogen in the long term.

Various approval procedures need to be completed before the project can be approved, including the amendment of the development plan, the approval procedure under the Federal Immission Control Act and the planning approval process. We are still at the start of all these approval procedures. The project is currently in the early public consultation phase as part of the development plan procedure pursuant to Section 3 (1) of the Building Code and the early stages of the public consultation process pursuant to Section 2 of the Environmental Administration Act. The municipality of Obrigheim and EnBW are holding a public event on 8 July 2026 to provide people with information on the general objectives, purposes and expected impact of the planned combined cycle gas turbine plant. In addition, the draft development plan will be made available online for a certain period of time for people to view. During this period, members of the public can submit their opinions. A further public review phase is planned for a later date.