On 8 September 2009, Atel Havelland Kraftwerk GmbH, a subsidiary of Alpiq Holding Ltd., received a positive decision on construction of a gas-fired combined-cycle power station in Premnitz, 70 kilometers west of Berlin. This preliminary decision grants permission in principle to build the 400-Megawatt facility on this site, and is legally binding. The decision was issued by the Brandenburg Office of the Environment. In December 2008, Alpiq acquired an option on the site for the planned power station and in the spring of 2009 applied to the Office of the Environment for permission to build the facility. The entire procedure to obtain permission from the Brandenburg authorities lasted less than half a year. Cooperation was constructive and efficient, and there were no objections against the power station from the local population.
Next step: Clear the site and prepare it for construction Now the 70,000 square meter site is being cleared by the vendors and prepared for construction. This will take around 15 months, since the old facilities of chemical fibre factory Märkische Faser must first be dismantled. At the same time, Alpiq has started to draw up detailed technical plans and will drive the remaining approval process forward. If all continues according to plan, the definitive go-ahead on construction will be issued in the near future, and construction of the plant can begin in 2011. The construction period will take an estimated 24 months.
Expansion of sales in Germany through proprietary power stations The planned facility is a modern 400-Megawatt gas-fired combined-cycle power station. The site, in an industrial zone near Premnitz, near the city of Brandenburg on the River Havel, offers ideal conditions for construction of the power station. Near the property is a 380 kV high-voltage line into which the power station can feed electricity. Alpiq will be able to use a high-pressure gas pipeline with transfer station, located on the periphery of the industrial zone, to transport gas to the power station. By operating this power station, Alpiq will be able to further expand electricity sales in Germany and, in future, draw on its own power station reserves.