Three power plant units of RWE Power that were previously on standby will return to the electricity market on schedule in October. The German government has issued the necessary ordinance within the framework of the German Act on the Maintenance of Replacement Power Plants (Ersatzkraftwerkebereithaltungsgesetz). The units Neurath C, Niederaussem E and F are already scheduled to go into operation in the coming days. As with all other power plants, it is up to the operator to deploy the plants in line with market conditions.

The three lignite units each have a capacity of 300 megawatts (MW). With their deployment, they contribute to strengthening the security of supply in Germany during the energy crisis and to saving natural gas in electricity generation. Their deployment is initially limited until 30 June 2023.

The restart of the power plants was preceded by extensive work to prepare the plants for a longer period of operation with high utilisation. Components had to be serviced and thoroughly cleaned, wearing parts replaced and updates to the measurement and control technology installed. In addition, the teams were strengthened by colleagues taking early retirement later, more trainees being taken on and new employees being recruited from the labour market. Originally, it was planned that the three reserve power plant units affected would be permanently shut down on 30 September 2022 and 30 September 2023 respectively.