Uniper SE: Staudinger power plant 5 to be shut down over the summer

• Uniper notifies transmission grid operator of temporary shutdown
• Operation no longer cost-effective especially during summer

Uniper today notified the transmission grid operator TenneT and the federal network agency (Bundesnetzagentur) of the temporary shutdown of the coal-fired power plant Staudinger 5 during the summer months over the next three years. The plant, located near Hanau with a capacity of 510 megawatts, will be shut down starting next year until 2020 between the months of June and August. The shutdown will save Uniper annual costs in the upper seven-figure euro range. Specifically, personnel costs and expenses for operational readiness, upkeep and maintenance will be reduced.

Uniper board member Eckhardt Rümmler (Chief Operating Officer), announced: "If we didn't take this action we'd have to shut down unit 5 at Staudinger power station entirely. We wanted to avoid that. Unit 5's economic situation is generally difficult, but particularly in the summer it's barely possible for it to generate sufficient earnings."

The notification of the planned temporary shutdown in accordance with the Energy Act and the Network Reserve Regulation relates to the following periods:
 

- from midnight May 31, 2018 to midnight August 31, 2018,

- from midnight May 31, 2019 to midnight August 31, 2019, and

- from midnight May 31, 2020 to midnight August 31, 2020.
 

Within a period of four weeks, TenneT will have to decide whether Staudinger 5 is "system relevant" for the electric grid. The notice has no bearing on district heating, which is guaranteed during the months of shutdown.

The Staudinger plant in Grosskrotzenburg is the largest conventional power plant in the state of Hesse. The coal-fired block 5 (510 megawatts net capacity) was put in operation in 1992 and produces electricity for the electricity market primarily in the mid-load range. Block 4 (1977, 622 megawatt net capacity) is a gas-fired power plant and is utilized by the grid operator TenneT as reserve capacity and for stabilizing the power grid. The operational readiness of block 4 is not affected by the announced measures.

The total power generated at the Staudinger plant is sufficient to supply about one million people. The plant also generates district heating for about 19,000 households in Grosskrotzenburg and Hanau. Blocks 1-3 were previously shut down in 2012 and 2013.

For further information please contact:

Georg Oppermann
T +49 2 11-45 79-55 32
M +49 1 78-4 39 48 47

georg.oppermann@uniper.energy
 

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by the Uniper SE Management and other information currently available to Uniper. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. Uniper SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.