Disappointment after Germany’s first capacity auctions – what’s next?

On Tuesday night, the German regulator BNA published details of the final long‑term capacity auction, scheduled for December — and with a surprising twist. The first auction disappointed many. The biggest winner was LEAG, which plans to convert old lignite plants to run on gas — a much less efficient option than modern gas plants. Although the government publicly praised the results, an as‑yet unpublished order is expected to spell out when fuel switches from lignite or coal will be allowed for the remaining 3.8 GW to be auctioned. Why does that matter for the energy system?

Reporting by Katharina Johannsen, Reporter, Montel News, Germany

Contributor: Fabian Huneke, Project Lead Renewable Energies, Agora Energy Transition