I don't know about Europe, but in the US, there were two types of natural gas plant built during the late 1990s through the start of the 2000s: Baseload and peaking.

It's notable that the capacity factor of natural gas fired plants in the non-utility is very, very low.  

What's interesting is that the capacity of these plants is more than enough to provide backup generation for the introduction of wind and solar to the grid in a number of states.

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg