Germany Weighs Extending Nuclear Plants Lifespans In Major Russia-Inspired Reversal

Germany's energy systems analysts have known for at least a decade:

1) Wind and solar are troublesome actors on the grid

2) They are too expensive for any industrial economy

Solar is very expensive on an “all-in” cost basis, shows up around midday, disturbs the grid, so the other electricity generators have to ramp up and down their outputs, to allow this short-time intruder onto the grid. After that disturbance, peace and quiet is restored to the grid, until the unruly intruder shows up again the next day; its output depending on 1) level of sunshine, 2) variable cloudiness, 3) snow and ice, and 4) the seasons. See table 1 and URLs

 

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/cost-shifting-is-the-na...

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/wind-and-solar-provide...

 

Table 1/VT & NE sources

Paid to

Subsidy

Grid

GMP

 Added

ISO-NE

Total

NE

Times

 

 

paid to

support

 

to rate

RNS+

 

utility

 

owner

towner

cost

adder

base

FCM

cost

cost

c/kWh

c/kWh

c/kWh

c/kWh

c/kWh

c/kWh

c/kWh

c/kWh

Solar, rooftop, net-metered, new

17.4

5.2

2.1

3.5

20.9

1.6

29.8

7.6

3.92

Solar, rooftop, net-metered, legacy

18.2

5.4

2.1

3.5

21.7

1.6

30.8

7.6

4.05

Solar, standard offer, combo

11.0

6.74

2.1

11.0

1.6

21.44

7.6

2.82

Solar, standard offer, legacy

21.7

10.5

2.1

21.7

1.6

35.9

7.6

4.72

Wind, ridge line, new

8.5

3.9

2.4

8.5

1.6

16.4

7.6

2.15

Wind, offshore, new

9.0

4.1

2.4

9.0

1.6

17.1

7.6

2.25

A NEW WAY TO MAKE WIND AND SOLAR MORE ATTRACTIVE

Just create a massive shortage of oil, gas and coal, such as by means of a war, and their spot prices will go up, and wind and solar, supported by expensive batteries, etc., will FINALLY become attractive, even without HUGE subsidies.

Germany is using the Ukraine war as an excuse to keep nuclear plants in service for at least 10 years, because it will take that long to partially replace Russian pipeline gas with LNG

The LNG will sell at astronomical spot prices of $40 to $50/million Btu, vs US Spot prices at $5/million Btu.

 

Natural Gas Price in Europe Smashes All-time High

https://www.rt.com/business/551028-european-gas-price-soars/

.

European natural gas futures spiked above $2,200 per 1,000 cubic meters on Wednesday for the first time in market history. The escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine has raised fears of supply shortages.

.

Because 1000 m3 contains 1000 x 35.315 ft3/m3 x 1000 Btu/ft3 = 35,315,000 Btu, the futures price becomes $2,200/35.315 million Btu = $62.30/million Btu, versus the US spot price at $4.5/million Btu

.

The April gas futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands soared from around $1,500 to $2,226 per 1,000 cubic meters, or $213 per megawatt-hour (341,200 Btu) in household terms by 09:30 GMT, hitting an all-time high, data from the London ICE exchange shows.

.

The spike in prices follows sanctions placed on Russia by a number of Western states due to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.

.

A huge increase in applications is raising the price by the minute, Kaushal Ramesh, senior analyst at Rystad Energy, told Vesti.

.

He said it had also been affected by fears of supply outages due to 1) possible damage to infrastructure in Ukraine, through which the majority of Russian gas is delivered to Europe, and 2) the possibility of supply restrictions on Russian oil and gas.

.
It looks like anything made in Europe will become very expensive, far more expensive than if that same product were made in the US.
.
The US/UK-led NATO, baiting Putin to start a war in Ukraine, is one way for the US to become more competitive in international markets, at the expense of Russia, and the EU, and everyone else.
.
THE UKRAINE PLOT IS THICKENING WITH GERMANY AND FRANCE BARELY IN LOCKSTEP WITH US/UK-LED NATO

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/the-plot-is-thickening...

The gas shortage condition would be in place for up to 10 years, because it would take that long to build up additional:

 

- Gas production capacity, elsewhere in the world, to replace Russia’s 200 bcm/y of pipeline gas.

- LNG production plants and sending ports

- LNG carriers; average capacity 170,000 cubic meter of LNG

- LNG receiving ports and gasification plants

- Connections to existing onshore pipe systems, all while:

 

1) EU inflation would be off-the-charts

2) EU exports would dwindle.

 

NOTE: The above production and infrastructure build-ups would be in addition to what is required for the projected world-market growth of LNG

Germany Weighs Extending Nuclear Plants Lifespans In Major Russia-Inspired Reversal

BY TYLER DURDEN

WEDNESDAY, MAR 02, 2022 - 02:45 AM

As fighting involving Russia and Ukraine enters its sixth day, Germany is starting to reconsider its decision to dial back its reliance on nuclear power in an effort to secure its energy supply, which is presently dependent on natural gas imports from the Russian Federation.

Economy Minister Habeck

Reversing an earlier policy adopted under former Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany has decided to extend the lifespan of its remaining nuclear power plants, according to Economy Minister Robert Habeck.

It's part of a broader plan for Germany to derive 100% of its energy from "renewable" sources by 2035.

Previously, Germany had planned to shutter its nuclear plants by the end of 2022.

Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim 2 remain the last nuclear plants that produce power in Germany following the country's decision a decade ago to phase out nuclear power in the wake of Japan's disaster at Fukushima.

Here's more from Reuters:

Germany is weighing whether to extend the life-span of its remaining nuclear power plants as a way to secure the country's energy supply in the face of uncertainty over Russian gas supplies, the country's economy minister said.

Asked by German broadcaster ARD whether he could imagine letting nuclear plants run longer than planned under Germany's exit plan, which foresees shutting down the country's three remaining plans by the end of 2022, Robert Habeck said:

"It is part of my ministry's tasks to answer this question. I would not reject it on ideological grounds - but the preliminary examination has shown that it does not help us."

The three plants are owned by German energy firms E.ON, RWE and EnBW, respectively. Habeck said the three operators have already informed the government that extending their lifespans won't impact energy production during the 2022-2023 winter season.

"Because the preparations for the shutdowns are already so far advanced that the nuclear power plants could only continue to operate under the highest safety concerns and possibly with fuel supplies that have not yet been secured," Habeck said. "And that is certainly not what we want."

Here's how Habeck described Germany's other plans for improving its reliance on renewables to 100%, according to Reuters.

According to the paper, the corresponding amendment to the country's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) is ready and the share of wind or solar power should reach 80% by 2030.

By then, Germany's onshore wind energy capacity should double to up to 110 gigawatts, offshore wind energy should reach 30 GW - arithmetically the capacity of 10 nuclear plants - and solar energy would more than triple to 200 GW, the paper showed.

As CNBC pointed out, both Germany and Japan have recently reclassified nuclear power as "clean" energy, opening the door to potentially trillions of dollars in ESG-driven investment.

German Finance Minister Christian Lindner has described renewable electricity as "the energy of freedom".

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Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on March 5, 2022 at 11:19am

‘Russian Attempts to Influence’ & Fund Environmental Groups to Oppose Fracking in Europe & U.S.
https://www.climatedepot.com/2022/03/04/flashback-2018-russia-collu...

Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on March 5, 2022 at 12:41am

Bayer Exec Openly Brags About Deceiving Covid Jab Recipients, Admits Without Falsely Calling Them “Vaccines,” ‘We Would Have Probably Had a 95% Refusal Rate’
https://www.infowars.com/posts/watch-bayer-exec-brags-mrna-shots-ar...

Comment by Thinklike A. Mountain on March 4, 2022 at 9:52am

Sen Ron Johnson: Tony Bobulinski was right - President Biden Is Dramatically, Seriously Compromised 

 “We don’t know all of his foreign financial entanglements. We’ve certainly shown the indication of the advanced web of them. But I’ll tell you who does know: Russian intelligence, Chinese intelligence."
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2022/03/03/ron-johnson-president-bi...

Comment by Willem Post on March 2, 2022 at 10:48pm

Lynn,

There are no accurate world wide data prior to 1979.

There were gigantic areas with no measurements, which is true even to-day

There are many temperatures stations around which urban and suburban development took place. Those temperatures would read high

Satellite data gathering from all over the world began in 1979

Comment by Lynn Oleum on March 2, 2022 at 9:54pm
It is possible to measure, not speculate about, both temperature and CO2 concentration over vast periods of time using ice cores, ocean-bottom sediments, stalactites, ….
The record shows that CO2 increase always and only comes AFTER temperature increase. As lawyers say: “post hoc ergo propter hoc.” (This is actually a logical fallacy, more properly "ante hoc ergo non ex hoc.")
Carbon 14 is radioactive, with a half-life of about 5,700 years. It’s produced only in the upper atmosphere by cosmic rays. There is no Carbon 14 in fossil fuels, which have been underground for millions of years. Measurements of the recent history of Carbon 14 in the atmosphere show that no more than 12% of the increase in atmospheric CO2 since 1800 has come from fossil fuels.
The Sun has several cycles. Two of them resonate with a period of about 1,500 years. The geologic record shows worldwide temperature variations with that periodicity. The current moment is near the bottom of that cycle. Of course the climate is warming!
Ice-core data show that 1870 was the coldest year in 8,700 years. It was also at about that time that reliable and accurate worldwide temperature records, other than geological records, began to be kept. It’s no surprise that that brief 150 record shows average temperature increasing.
CO2 is increasing in the atmosphere. Worldwide average temperature is increasing. It’s not obvious that human activity is causing those phenomena.
Comment by Penny Gray on March 2, 2022 at 5:29pm

Reality bites, doesn't it?

Comment by Willem Post on March 2, 2022 at 5:27pm

Lynn,

I used to design large power plants, including gas, coal and nuclear.

When I saw aerial photos, with markings of equipment and buildings, it was immediately clear the “plant island” had been laid out wrong, with auxiliary transformers and emergency generators on the OCEAN SIDE.

The plant was totally vulnerable to a sizable Tsunami 

Comment by Lynn Oleum on March 2, 2022 at 5:07pm

The Fukushima Daiichi plants were damaged only indirectly by the tsunami. Their auxiliary generators were in the basement, filled with mud, and the fuel for them was swept away. TEPCO had been warned of this eight years earlier.

There are no tsunamis in the Baltic Sea, or anywhere inland in Germany.

Comment by Willem Post on March 2, 2022 at 3:04pm

In his speech, Biden was promising a flood of goodies that were exactly what Dem/Progs wanted to hear, but that will not have a snowball’s change in Hades to pass after November 2022.

He did not mention how it would be paid for, and who would do the paying.

He mentioned BBB
“BUILD BACK BETTER” WOULD COST $4.490 TRILLION OVER THE NEXT DECADE, IF PROVISIONS WERE MADE TO LAST 10 YEARS

He mentioned wind and solar and energy
BIDEN 30,000 MW OFFSHORE WIND SYSTEMS BY 2030; AN EXPENSIVE FANTASY

He mentioned sanctions on Russian gas, but it would require up to ten years to replace 200 billion cubic meter per year going to Europe and Turkey

Here is a New Way to Make Solar and Wind More Attractive

Just create a massive shortage of oil, gas and coal, such as by means of a war, and their spot prices will go up, and wind and solar, supported by expensive batteries, etc., will FINALLY become attractive, even without HUGE subsidies.

Germany is using the Ukraine war as an excuse to keep nuclear plants in service for at least 10 years, because it will take that long to partially replace Russian pipeline gas with LNG
The LNG will sell at astronomical spot prices of $40 to $50/million Btu, vs US Spot prices at $5/million Btu.

Natural Gas Price in Europe Smashes All-time High
https://www.rt.com/business/551028-european-gas-price-soars/

European natural gas futures spiked above $2,200 per 1,000 cubic meters on Wednesday for the first time in market history. The escalating crisis between Russia and Ukraine has raised fears of supply shortages.

Because 1000 m3 contains 1000 x 35.315 ft3/m3 x 1000 Btu/ft3 = 35,315,000 Btu, the futures price becomes $2,200/35.315 million Btu = $62.30/million Btu, versus the US spot price at $4.5/million Btu

The April gas futures at the TTF hub in the Netherlands soared from around $1,500 to $2,226 per 1,000 cubic meters, or $213 per megawatt-hour (i.e., $213/3,412,000 Btu) in household terms, by 09:30 GMT, hitting an all-time high, data from the London ICE exchange shows.

The spike in prices follows sanctions placed on Russia by a number of Western states due to Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.

A huge increase in applications (i.e., demand for gas futures) is raising the price by the minute, Kaushal Ramesh, senior analyst at Rystad Energy, told Vesti.

He said it had also been affected by fears of supply outages due to: 1) possible damage to infrastructure in Ukraine, through which the majority of Russian gas is delivered to Europe, and 2) the possibility of supply restrictions on Russian oil and gas.

It looks like anything made in Europe will become very expensive, far more expensive than if that same product were made in the US.

The US/UK-led NATO, baiting Putin to start a war in Ukraine, is one way for the US to become more competitive in international markets, at the expense of Russia, and the EU, and everyone else.

The gas shortage condition would be in place for up to 10 years, because it would take that long to build up additional:

– Gas production capacity, elsewhere in the world, to replace Russia’s 200 bcm/y of pipeline gas.
– LNG production plants and sending ports
– LNG carriers; average capacity 170,000 cubic meter of LNG
– LNG receiving ports and gasification plants
– Connections to existing onshore pipe systems, all while:

1) EU inflation would be off-the-charts
2) EU exports would dwindle.

NOTE: The above production and infrastructure build-ups would be in addition to what is required for the projected world-market growth of LNG

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Sign up today and lend your voice and presence to the steadily rising tide that will soon sweep the scourge of useless and wretched turbines from our beloved Maine countryside. For many of us, our little pieces of paradise have been hard won. Did the carpetbaggers think they could simply steal them from us?

We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.

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 -- Mahatma Gandhi

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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