Coal as an energy source has a future. Every country has to find its own way of finding the best energy policy. In some cases only renewable sources and gas are suitable for that country, while in other cases coal is an option.
This is what some of the senior company officials of General Electric (GE) Global Company said for Fena during their visit to the modern plant in Germany.
In other words, they say that the plants that use fossil fuels will still play an important role in providing a wide variety of energy because they are going to provide the necessary balance arising from the gap between the requirements for electricity on one side and fluctuating energy levels obtained from renewable energy sources on the other side.
When it comes to the question of care for the environment, today’s technology can solve the problem of pollution.
GE Global Company organized a study visit of a group of journalists from a variety of countries from Southeast Europe to the most efficient thermal power plant that uses bituminous coal in Germany, in Karlsruhe, Energie Baden Wuerttemberg Company AG (AnBW). It’s one of the biggest energy companies, not only in Germany, but in Europe, with annual revenue of 21 billion Euros in 2015, 5.5 million customers and around 20,000 employees.
The coal that is used in the plant is 98 percent imported from South Africa, Columbia, Poland, United States of America and other countries. Next to the port on the Rhine, right next to the complex, they unload around 1000 ships of coal yearly. The coal is transported through the Rhine from the Dutch ports.
Stamatelopoulos says that the operational experience with the Block RDK 8 was very positive for now, but explained that they are facing difficulties in the German electricity marker and they are struggling to make positive economical results. As he states, the production costs of electricity in Germany is 27 Euros per MW/H, and in 2008, when they started the construction of the block, it was 40 Euros, expecting it to be up to 50 Euros. Still, they are expecting a rise of the costs of electricity by 2020.
(Source: akta)