Engie well positioned to bid for gas plant tenders in Germany, Netherlands, Spain, CEO says

By America Hernandez

PARIS, July 31 (Reuters) - French power utility Engie is well positioned to bid for newly announced tenders for power generation including gas plants in Germany, Netherlands and Spain, Chief Executive Catherine MacGregor said on Friday.

The tenders, called capacity remuneration mechanisms, pay producers to provide backup power when the grid needs it, such as during demand peaks and when wind and solar farms are not operating — with gas plants increasingly filling the gap as some countries move to close nuclear and coal plants.

"We are interested in participating very selectively in reinforcing the flexible generation in Europe ... but obviously we will only participate if we feel the conditions are adequate," she told analysts while presenting Engie's first-half results.

She added that 2026 was a big year due to these announcements.

German lawmakers are currently considering legislation to sweeten terms for gas plants, with tenders expected in September and December. 

"We have a project under development and are looking to participate in that second auction. Obviously, we have land secured and are well engaged with the supplier on securing the equipment," MacGregor said.

"It would be foolish of us to position ourselves for December otherwise ... as you know, gas turbines are a scarcity these days," she added. 

The company has data center project deals in an advanced stage for a capacity of 4 gigawatts that should materialize in the next year, she said.

(Reporting by America Hernandez; Editing by Inti Landauro and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)