The German utility Uniper has applied to extend the closure of the loss-making Irsching-4 and Irsching-5 gas-fired power plants in Germany for a third year in a row beyond April 2019 (to the end of September 2020). These high-efficiency facilities, which have a total combined capacity of 1,400 MW and respective efficiency rates of 59.7% and 60.4%, are not commercially viable due to competition from subsidised solar and wind energy and are currently mothballed. Uniper does not believe that the plants can be commercially viable before at least early 2019.
Under German domestic regulations, power generation companies wishing to idle plants need to signal it to the energy regulator with a notice period of 12 months in advance to check whether this endangers the stability of the domestic power grid. Both units are subject to the network reserve provision and are used only when their output is needed to maintain grid stability.
Uniper is the majority owner of the facilities, which were commissioned in 2010 (846 MW Irsching-5) and 2011 (561 MW Irsching-4).