Germany's government must urgently deliver a strategy to tender for 15 gigawatts (GW) of new gas-fired power plants to create a viable path for supporting renewable energy expansion, the head of industry group BDEW told reporters on Thursday.

"We had it expected the strategy last year, it must come as soon as possible," said managing director Kerstin Andreae in an online call, adding the 15 GW were just a first step for gas to partner volatile green energies based on wind and solar.

The gas plants, which will have to be ready for a future transition to renewable hydrogen, must receive support for initial investments as well as help with operations, she said.

(Reporting by Vera Eckert, editing by Matthias Williams)