Germany Donates Former Nord Stream-Linked Power Plant to Ukraine

A gas-fired power plant near Lubmin, Germany, will be transferred to Ukraine as energy assistance. The facility, situated at the junction where the Nord Stream 1 pipeline connects to the German gas network, was decommissioned after Russian gas supplies through the Baltic Sea stopped in September 2022, according to Welt on May 4.

The company Securing Energy for Europe GmbH stated that operating the plant became unprofitable following the cessation of these deliveries.

The facility originally provided the heat necessary to feed Russian natural gas into the German pipeline system. Because there were no other customers for this heat, operations ended in 2023. No buyer was found for the plant, which has a reported capacity of 84 megawatts.

According to Sefe, the plant will be provided to a Ukrainian operator as humanitarian aid. The company noted that this arrangement does not result in economic losses compared to the costs of dismantling and disposal, while it actively supports Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The decision has faced criticism from the local Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Nikolaus Kramer, a member of the state parliament and district council, described the plan as "absurd."

The AfD is a right-wing political party characterized by its national-conservative platform and opposition to current German migration and European integration policies. In regional governance, the party often positions itself in opposition to government-led initiatives, advocating for a shift in priorities toward what it defines as local interests and traditional sovereignty.

He noted that while his party is calling for the construction of a new gas plant in Lubmin to ensure local energy security, a "fully functional cogeneration power plant there will be dismantled and handed over to Ukraine."

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Energy dynamics in the region shifted significantly in the summer of 2022 when Russia reduced and eventually stopped gas flows through Nord Stream 1. Both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were later damaged by explosions.

Previously, Germany delivered two cogeneration units and additional generators to Ukraine as part of a $143 million winter emergency assistance package. The equipment, provided by the German government, became operational in the capital to support Kyiv’s energy needs during the winter of 2026.

This aid was designed to supply electricity and heat to more than 86,000 residents, including those in hospitals, schools, and residential buildings. At the time, the delivery followed a series of Russian missile and drone attacks in Kyiv that had left significant portions of the city without power and water during subzero temperatures.

Ukrainian officials noted that these units were part of a larger plan to receive dozens of additional modular boiler houses and cogeneration units to strengthen the country's energy resilience.

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