FNB Gas on the draft bill StromVKG

The current draft of the StromVKG provides important impetus for security of supply and the energy transition – but falls short of the necessary ambitions when it comes to hydrogen.

It is to be welcomed that new power plants are to be H2-ready and operated in a climate-neutral manner in the future. At the same time, tenders for hydrogen power plants are being postponed further – with uncertainties for planning, grid development and the hydrogen ramp-up.

In order to make the hydrogen ramp-up in Germany a success, significantly greater incentives are required than are reflected in the current and announced regulations. The tenders in the future capacity market should therefore systematically take early conversions into account in order to provide targeted support for the ramp-up.

Other key points from our statement:

• Allocate system costs fairly: Gas-fired power plants must share appropriately in the costs of the gas infrastructure and, in future, the hydrogen infrastructure. The current draft lacks corresponding regulations.
• Thinking about grid connections: In addition to an electricity connection, gas-fired power plants also need connections to the gas or hydrogen grid – otherwise there is a risk of delays in commissioning and supply.
• Efficient infrastructure planning: Power plant locations should be more closely aligned with existing gas and future hydrogen infrastructure in order to avoid unnecessary grid expansion costs.

Our full statement is available in the download area.