ESSEN/COTTBUS (dpa-AFX) - Electricity producers have welcomed the presentation of key points of a power plant strategy by the German government. The energy group RWE confirmed its interest in the construction of hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants. "RWE plans to participate in the tenders," the company stated on Monday.

The tenders for power plants with a total of ten gigawatts planned in the short term are the right bridging measure, explained a spokesperson. However, the details are important and that the tenders are carried out as quickly as possible. According to earlier statements, RWE wants to build at least three gigawatts of capacity in Germany by 2030, primarily at its own coal-fired power plant sites.

The Cottbus-based energy company Leag announced that it would analyze the effects on the possibility of investments. It is of great importance for the future of the company that the strategy takes into account both the climate policy goals and the economic and social aspects of the Central German lignite mining regions, the company announced. It calls for the construction of hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants at locations with existing infrastructure and "a fair distribution of locations without favoring certain regions". This would allow the existing power plant and grid infrastructure to be used efficiently.

The Düsseldorf-based energy company Uniper also wants to build gas-fired power plants that can later run on hydrogen. "We currently assume that Uniper will build some of the new capacity for Germany," explained Uniper CEO Michael Lewis. In January, Lewis had said that Uniper intended to build three to four gigawatts.

A spokesman for the energy group Steag spoke of an important step on the occasion of the key points. However, the state aid agreement with the EU is still pending, as is consultation with a wider public. The Steag subsidiary Iqony wants to use its power plant sites for the construction of new hydrogen-capable gas-fired power plants. According to earlier statements, the company can realize new capacities with a total output of around two gigawatts "relatively quickly" at three locations./tob/DP/jha