At the onset of winter, the power plant units in Lusatia are not running at full capacity due to disruptions at the Jänschwalde and Boxberg sites. According to the operator Leag, a "minor malfunction" was detected in a boiler at the Jänschwalde lignite-fired power plant. This means that the units are currently running at a total output of 2750 megawatts instead of 3000 megawatts. A Leag spokeswoman was unable to say on Tuesday when the fault would be rectified. The Boxberg power plant is also running at 170 megawatts less - the total output there is 3520 megawatts. However, the Schwarze Pumpe and Lippendorf power plants are currently running at full load, according to the operator.
"We realize that the market needs us right now," said the Leag spokesperson. The grid operator 50Hertz is responsible for security of supply. It operates the electricity transmission grid in northern and eastern Germany and manages demand.
In October last year, two units at the Jänschwalde lignite-fired power plant that had been on standby were restarted due to the energy crisis. They are part of the supply reserve in accordance with the Substitute Power Plant Standby Act (EKBG). On this basis, both units will produce electricity for the market again by March 31, 2024 at the latest. The Jänschwalde power plant is to be completely decommissioned at the end of 2028.
