On 1 October Uniper transferred its shares in the Schkopau power plant near Korbetha to Saale Energie, and with that ended its participation in lignite-fired power plant in Europe. The transfer is in line with the company's strategic objective to accelerate the phase-out of coal-fired power generation as far as possible and to become climate-neutral in Europe by 2035.
The agreement for the sale of Uniper‘s stake of around 58 % was signed in February 2020. Saale Energie is a subsidiary of the Czech Energetický a Průmyslový Holding (EPH), headquartered in Prague, and has held a stake of just under 42 % in the power plant since 2012. Saale Energie is now acquiring all of Uniper's shares in the plant.
With a net output of around 900 MW, the power plant, located in southern Saxony-Anhalt, is an important cornerstone of Central Germany's energy supply. It supplies electricity to the grid, and to Deutsche Bahn, as well as power, process steam and desalinated water to the neighbouring chemical engineering park.
