Natural gas plant development is at a 10 year low, according to the Platts Power in Europe Tracker.
The Platts tracker, which shows electric power generation capacity and construction, highlights that less than four gigawatts (gw) of natural gas-fired power plants are being built in West Europe.
In Germany and the Netherlands there appears to be 6.8gw of coal plant in construction with just 3pw sat in the ‘approved’ category with no prospect of advance.
In 2012, 15 gw of combined-cycle gas turbine plants were in construction and in September 2006 the tracker recorded more than 23 gw of combined-cycle gas turbine plants in construction, with 7.38 gw commissioned in the first nine months of the year.
Henry Edwardes-Evans, associate editorial director of Power in Europe, a long-running publication of Platts said: “Since 2008, Europe has experienced strong subsidized growth in renewable energy, sustained periods of weak demand and low wholesale power prices, all of which have deterred thermal plant investment, particularly gas plant construction.”
He added: “The government is concerned that an ageing fleet of coal power stations, demand growth and a relative lack of interconnection will expose the country to future shortages.”
In terms of nuclear power there are 3.2 gw in construction in west Europe as two European Pressurized water Reactor (EPR) projects progress at a steady pace.
Work began at TVO’s Olkiluoto 3 plant in Finland in September 2005, and is due online in 2018.
A third EPR, at Hinkley Point in England, is reported to be close to European Union State Aid clearance. A mid-2015 construction start at Hinkley appears the best that developer EDF Energy can hope for.
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