Building and operating a grid stabilization plant
In order to guarantee grid stability and security of supply, additional generating plants (“special technical equipment pursuant to Section 11(3) EnWG”) are needed as part of the energy transition. EnBW has built such a grid stabilization plant at its power plant site in Marbach am Necker. The plant has been in operation since September 2024.
Grid stabilization plant on the power plant site in Marbach am Neckar
An important milestone for securing the electricity supply in Germany has been reached: On 30 September 2024, EnBW handed over the new grid stabilization plant on the Marbach power plant site to its client, the transmission system operator TransnetBW. This plant will keep the nationwide power grid stable in the event of any equipment failure. Its use is regulated by law and it may only be put into operation by TransnetBW on demand.
Due to Germany’s phasing out of nuclear power and the increased use of renewable energy sources, it is necessary to expand the German electricity grid. Not least because the electricity generated mainly in the north from renewable sources must also be transported to southern Germany. This grid expansion is only progressing slowly, which means that additional reserve capacity is needed to ensure grid stability.
The Federal Network Agency had therefore decided to have new generating plants built in southern Germany in addition to the existing power plant stock. These grid stabilization plants are only used if one or more plants within the power grid have already failed and there is a specific threat to grid stability. In such cases, the grid stabilization plants serve to ease the load on the power grids on a short-term basis.
The transmission system operators TransnetBW, Amprion and TenneT defined the capacity they each require and issued invitations to tender for the construction of suitable power plants within their control zones to cover this capacity. TransnetBW GmbH has issued an invitation to tender for a capacity of 300 megawatts (MW) for Baden-Württemberg.
EnBW had participated in this tendering process with its Marbach am Neckar power plant site. Having secured the contract in August 2019, a so-called open-cycle gas turbine was then installed there. The advantage of such turbines is their ability to supply a high level of electrical power within a relatively short space of time. Following the completion of the construction phase, the plant has now been in operation since September 2024.
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What is a grid stability plant?
(only available in German)
From the construction to the completion of the new gas turbine power plant in Marbach
Project description
How the gas turbine works
An explanation on how it works
- The compressor draws in air and compresses it.
- The oil-water emulsified fuel is injected into the combustion chamber and ignited.
- The hot combustion gases drive the turbine.
- The turbine drives the generator, with part of the energy used to compress the intake air.
The grid stabilization plant essentially consists of a gas turbine with filter house for air intake, a diffuser for drawing off the hot exhaust gases from the turbine into the separate chimney, a generator and the associated ancillary and auxiliary systems. Occupying a total area of around 14,000 square meters, the plant is located on the existing company site at Thomas-Alva-Edison-Ring.
The gas turbine is fired with light fuel oil. This will avoid any potential difficulties in obtaining the fuel supply to the greatest possible extent. That’s because the large oil storage facility on the power plant site (with a total capacity of approx. 70,000 m³) ensures that the fuel is available all year round. This is especially important in winter, because any threat to grid stability is most likely to occur during cold periods.