01/18/2022 – 12:00

Stadtwerke Munich

Munich (ots)

Kyoto Protocol 1997, Paris Climate Agreement 2015, UN Climate Change Conference Glasgow 2021 – the international community has long since taken up the fight against global warming, but the steps taken are still too timid and the results are sobering. In order to reduce emissions and stop global warming, ambitious goals are important, but above all it requires the determination to implement the necessary measures.

“That’s why we are defining a clear path for Munich to become climate-neutral,” says Lord Mayor Reiter: “This includes climate-neutral district heating, the switch from natural gas and heating oil to heat pumps and other renewable alternatives, the exclusion of fossil fuels via stipulations in development plans, and electricity off renewable energies and climate-friendly mobility. These are milestones for climate protection in Munich, milestones not least for Stadtwerke München.”

Green electricity: from less than 5% to 90% in 12 years

Well before Fukushima and the German decision to phase out nuclear power, the city of Munich set the course for a climate-friendly energy future.

Mayor Dieter Reiter: “In 2009, the city and its municipal company, Stadtwerke München, jointly decided to herald the end of conventional power generation. Munich has thus shown foresight. SWM has consistently pushed ahead with the expansion of renewable energies – which are safe and With their projects in Munich and the region, in Germany and in Europe, they have already achieved the set goal of using as much green electricity in their own plants as Munich from 2025. A success story ‘made in Munich’ also has investments worth billions. ”

dr Florian Bieberbach: “With the expansion campaign for renewable energies, SWM has increased its green electricity production from around 350 million kilowatt hours to 6.3 billion kilowatt hours per year. This will enable us to cover 90% of all urban electricity consumption from 2022, including households, commerce, industry, the public sector and subway, tram and e-bus operations. In addition, there are onshore and offshore wind farms, solar parks and a solar thermal power plant in Germany and Europe. We are confident that we will achieve our 2025 goal of 100% green electricity for the whole of Munich. But even the last ten percent still require a lot of commitment. In addition, forecasts assume that the demand for electricity will increase in the years to come, mainly due to e-mobility and the increased use of heat pumps. That’s why we’ve expanded our target. We also want to cover the additional electricity demand with green electricity and will therefore continue to push ahead with the expansion offensive.”

Natural gas bridges the phase-out of coal in HKW Nord – perspective hydrogen

At the Unterföhring site, electricity and district heating are generated using an environmentally friendly combined heat and power process. The energy sources used, currently waste and coal, are optimally used to generate electricity and district heating. An important component of the SWM climate strategy is the rapid phase-out of coal use in the North thermal power station (Block 2) in order to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. The challenge here: According to the Federal Network Agency, block 2 is system-relevant on the electricity side and must not be switched off without replacement. In addition, the operation of the HKW Nord is indispensable for Munich’s district heating supply.

Helge-Uve Braun: “In order to be able to phase out coal quickly despite these challenges, also in line with the 2017 citizens’ initiative, we are examining the possibility of converting Block 2 to natural gas. We have been conducting tests on this for some time, the changed driving style is therefore assuming that we will already be able to switch the coal block to natural gas for the 2022/23 heating season and thus finally say goodbye to the use of coal in Munich. We see the use of natural gas as a necessary bridging technology, and due to the existing infrastructure, the location is ideally suited to geothermal energy and the operation of heat storage.”

Realignment of Spirit Energy – natural gas production will be phased out in the medium term

The gas production company Spirit Energy, in which SWM and Bayerngas together hold 31%, is being realigned. It initiated the sale of its Norwegian gas and oil fields and one express field in 2021, which will be completed in 2022. With the sale, almost all fields with an involved production of oil are sold. This reduces Spirit Energy’s oil production by around 95%. The deposited business is to be continued with a changed strategy and geared to the requirements of the energy transition. The focus WILL be on safely and economically exploiting existing gas reserves. As a result, Spirit’s natural gas production will be significantly reduced immediately and will probably be gradually phased out over the next five to ten years. In addition, as far as possible, the existing infrastructure should be used for sustainable and climate-friendly activities, such as hydrogen production with subsequent CO2 storage (blue hydrogen) or hydrogen storage in depleted gas deposits (green hydrogen).

dr Florian Bieberbach: “I am delighted with Spirit Energy’s new, climate-friendly and sustainable strategy. The sale of the Norwegian fields reduces our exposure to gas production, and de facto means the end of oil production. This is another step in SWM’s decarbonization strategy.”

The Isar 2 nuclear power plant will go offline on December 31, 2022

For historical reasons, SWM holds a 25% stake in KKI 2. In 1982, the city signed the contracts for participation, and in 1988 the reactor went online.

In the 1990s, the city council commissioned SWM to sell its stake in KKI 2. Despite more intensive efforts, the sale could not be realized (among other things, due to the uncertainty of the term, the Bavarian municipal code). SWM’s electricity share is sold entirely on the electricity exchange.

On June 6, 2011, the federal government decided to shut down eight nuclear power plants and phase out nuclear power in stages by 2022. Isar 2 will be the last reactor to be shut down on December 31, 2022. The dismantling of the plant is scheduled to begin in 2023 and is expected to end in 2039. The costs for this are fully covered by the SWM.

2022 – an outstanding year for Munich

Joint commitment for improved framework conditions

Mayor Dieter Reiter: “In order to be able to continue to successfully implement our goals & also to tighten the climate protection goals at Bavarian level. that the energy transition must succeed. However, we must not only concentrate on regulations and laws.

dr Florian Bieberbach: “The main sticking point for the success of the energy transition is and remains acceptance among the population and business, not only for the basic goals, but also for the measures implemented. Here it is up to politics to make it clear to everyone involved that instead of the attitude ‘Not in my backyard’ we need more ‘In my backyard, please!’ In practice, it has been shown several times that a high level of acceptance of wind energy on site can ensure that smooth implementation can be agreed and implemented. After the phase-out of coal-fired power generation and nuclear power, we will continue to need gas-fired power plants to generate electricity, which in the future can be based on hydrogen can be converted for the absolutely necessary framework conditions in Berlin and Brussels.”

Pictures can be included in the notification www.swm.de/presse be downloaded.

A film shows the development and the projects of the expansion campaign for renewable energies from 2008 to the present: https://youtu.be/9WQ6pOYXK1I

Press contact:

Bettina Hess, SWM press officer, 089/2361-5042, [email protected]

Original content from: Stadtwerke München, transmitted by news aktuell