VGB-Congress ''Power Plants 2004''

This year's 'Power Plants' VGB Congress held in Cologne, Germany, on October 6 to 8, 2004 was under the heading of 'Ensuring Investments - How can We Fill the Generation Gap?' Approximately one thousand energy experts from 24 countries discussed, at plenary sessions and technical meetings, feasible technologies and the resultant requirements to be met in electricity and heat supply in the future. Due to its great importance the key topic of the congress was again the urgent need to renew existing europeanwide generating capacities. Because of plant age, more than 200,000 MW had to be replaced in Europe by 2020, some 40,000 MW of this in Germany alone. The national and international debates should keep on mind this key question of the future electric power production. Politics and society should concentrate on research and development for reliable strategies. (orig.)