The gas-fired power plant that serviced the Nord Stream pipeline will be transferred to Ukraine as part of humanitarian assistance on a self-pickup basis, announced the German company Sefe - formerly a subsidiary of Gazprom.
Germany plans to transfer a gas-fired power plant to Ukraine that previously supported the operation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. This was reported on Monday, May 4, by the newspaper Die Welt, citing the German company Sefe Securing Energy for Europe (formerly Gazprom Germania), as noted by DW.
The facility is located in Lubmin near Greifswald and is owned by Industriekraftwerk Greifswald GmbH (IKG). The plant was used to generate process heat when supplying Russian gas to the German gas transportation network. According to the NDR television channel, the plant has a capacity of 84 MW of heat and electricity.
In the summer of 2022, Russia reduced and subsequently completely halted gas supplies through Nord Stream. This pipeline - like Nord Stream 2, which was never put into operation due to the invasion of Ukraine - soon suffered serious damage as a result of explosions. Additionally, due to the war in Ukraine, Germany announced its refusal to import Russian gas.
Sefe: The operation of the plant became unprofitable
According to Sefe, which is the majority owner of IKG, after the cessation of Russian gas supplies through the Baltic Sea in September 2022, the operation of the plant became unprofitable. Since there are no other consumers of heat from the facility, the plant's operations were completely halted in 2023.
The company also reported that it was unable to find a buyer for the power plant. "Therefore, as part of humanitarian assistance, the plant will be transferred to the Ukrainian power plant operator on a self-pickup basis," Sefe stated.
They noted that this decision is economically viable for the company, as it avoids costs associated with dismantling or disposing of the equipment. "At the same time, this deal supports the Ukrainian energy infrastructure," the company added.
