Turbine technology developments |
Hydrogen ready combined cycle plan supports coal phase-out
RWE is planning to build hydrogen ready gas-fired power plants at the company’s power plant sites in Germany to contribute to a successful coal phase-out by 2030.
Following Weisweiler in the Rhenish mining area, the company is now pressing ahead with plans for such a plant at a possible second site, at the Gersteinwerk power plant in Werne in the southern Münsterland region. A hydrogen ready CCGT with a nominal installed capacity of
around 800 MW is under consideration for the Gersteinwerk site.
Following “intensive technical soundings”, RWE says it has commissioned an Italian–Spanish consortium consisting of Ansaldo Energia (Italy) and Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain) to execute the project. Work on gaining planning approval for the project is already underway.
Nikolaus Valerius, CEO RWE Generation SE, said that, with the seeking of planning approval
for a hydrogen ready gas-fired power plant at the Gersteinwerk site already underway, “we are taking proactive measures to keep the chance of completion by 2030 open. With the construction of the new power plant, we are ready to contribute to green security of supply and thus secure the coal phase-out by 2030. This requires policymakers to quickly make some key decisions. We can only make a final investment decision once the connection of the site to a hydrogen network has been secured and the framework conditions allow for a commercially viable operation of the power plant.” The German government has announced that its power plant strategy will soon create a regulatory framework for tendering hydrogen- ready gas-fired power plants. RWE says it intends to participate in these tenders.
According to the recently presented plans for the construction of a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany, the Gerstein plant in Werne could find itself close to a hydrogen transport pipeline in the future.
Visualisation of the Gerstein site with hydrogen ready CCGT (source RWE)
At the time of commissioning, the hydrogen ready Gerstein plant should be able to use a fuel mix with at least 50% hydrogen content, and it is intended to run it entirely on hydrogen at a later stage.
Steam turbine upgrade: more power to Loviisa
The eight low pressure steam turbines (casings plus internals) are to be modernised at Fortum’s Loviisa nuclear power plant in Finland, which employs two Russian-designed VVER-440 pressurised water reactors.
The LP modernisations, scheduled to start in 2026, will be carried out by Doosan Škoda Power, and done in conjunction with the normal power plant annual outages. Doosan Škoda Power has previously supplied high-pressure turbines for Loviisa.
The LP upgrades are part of a programme of lifetime-extension-related investments aimed at continuous power plant improvements to ensure reliable electricity production until the end of the plant’s operating life. The modernisation of the turbines will result in significant efficiency enhancement and is expected to add 38 MWe of generating capacity to the plant’s existing 1014 MWe (amounting to about 7 TWh of additional electricity).
“Nuclear power is a strategic segment for us, and this contract is further confirmation that we Head of Sales Nuclear at Doosan Škoda Power. In February 2023, the Finnish government granted a new operating licence to Loviisa enabling operation until 2050. Loviisa units 1
and 2 were connected to the grid in 1977 and 1980, respectively.
Over the course of the new licence period, and with the upgraded LP turbines, the power plant is expected to generate up to 177 TWh of emission- free electricity.
“Modernising the low pressure turbines is our first significant investment in preparation for the lifetime extension. Our aim is for the power plant to operate during the new operating licence period just as stably, reliably and safely as it has so far,” says Sasu Valkamo, Senior Vice President of the power plant.
It is estimated that the investments related to Loviisa lifetime extension will amount to approximately one billion euros by 2050. Over the past five years, Fortum say it has invested approximately 200 million euros in refurbishing the plant.
In 2023, Loviisa achieved a load factor of 91.06% and thanks to continuous development and modernisation it has consistently recorded load factors that are among the best for PWRs worldwide. The power plant produced some 8.09 TWh net in 2023, about 10% of Finland’s total electricity production.
Twin VVER-440s at Loviisa 22 | September 2024|
www.modernpowersystems.com
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