Zolling power plant discontinues commercial operation

Zolling, 21 February 2025 – After around 40 years, the commercial operation of coal-fired unit 5 of the Zolling power plant ended on the night of 21 February 2025. Due to its strategic importance for the electricity supply, the plant will be transferred to the grid reserve until 31 March 2031, subject to further system-relevant demand. Onyx Power will keep the power plant available from now on and, with the approval of the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), will be available to the transmission system operator at any time for grid-securing tasks.

The Zolling power plant was awarded the contract for the termination of commercial operation by the BNetzA in 2022 as part of the 6th auction to reduce coal-fired power generation. The plant will take on new grid-securing tasks as part of the grid reserve. In future, the power plant can be ramped up at any time to mitigate grid shortages or voltage and system balance problems.

Roman Ritter, Head of the Zolling power plant: ‘The Zolling power plant has reliably supplied electricity for decades. As part of a major overhaul in summer 2025, a large number of measures will be implemented to maintain the availability of our plant. This underlines the relevance of our power plant in the context of the energy transition and for the southern German region.’

The Zolling power plant is closely linked to the region. Electricity and heat have been generated at the traditional site since 1955. In future, Onyx Power plans to operate and further expand the Zolling energy park, which includes a biomass cogeneration plant and a sewage sludge drying plant. Various concepts have been developed. Just a few days ago, the Zolling power plant signed a new contract with Fernwärmeversorgung Freising and Bayernwerk Natur for the provision of district heating for the town of Freising and the surrounding area until 2030. 140 employees will remain at the site and actively shape its transformation.

Press contact

Viktoria Schierenbeck

Head of Communication

M: +49 (0)173 536 0025

E: viktoria.schierenbeck@onyx-power.com