Work Begins on Polish Gas-Fired Plant

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Construction has started at a new 490-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant at the coal-fired Żerań combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Warsaw, Poland.

The new plant is being constructed by electricity utility PGNiG Termika (Warsaw, Poland) in partnership with a consortium involving Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe (MHPS Europe) (London, England) and construction firm Polimex-Mostostal (Warsaw, Poland). Industrial Info is tracking the project, which is running more than four years late and is valued at $1.57 billion. The ceremony was attended by Poland's Deputy Minister of Energy Andrzej Pietrowski and the Minister of Environment Jan Szyszko.

The new plant will be the most modern gas-fired plant in Poland and will use a F-class gas turbine with a heat recovery steam generator and a steam turbine. When completed the old coal-fired boilers at the Zeran plant will be taken out of service. The project will increase electricity generation capacity of the plant by approximately 80%.

Satoshi Uchida, Chief Executive Officer of MHPS Europe, added: "With Żerań, we are introducing MHPS's excellent gas turbines and combined-cycle power plant technology to the Polish market. Today, MHPS is the number one global leader in Advanced Class Gas Turbine Technology, with over 940 units on order or in operation."

MHPS won its first contract in Poland for the construction of Unit 11 of the massive 4,000 MW Kozienice coal-fired power plant. The new plant will be commissioned by the end of this year. The company is also supplying a 450-MW plant addition at the Turow coal-fired plant.

Poland relies on coal for more than 80% of its electricity, with the remainder coming from biofuels and to a lesser extent natural gas and renewables. The government would like to see coal's share in the power mix drop to 60% by 2030, but for the short-to-medium term, coal will remain the key source of energy. The country is under pressure from the European Union (EU) to drastically reduce its reliance on coal and cut its emissions. Industrial Info reported last month that the country is determined to push ahead with long-delayed plans for its first nuclear power plant. The government is looking to China to help finance the projects, signing a memorandum of understanding with state-owned nuclear giant China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) (Shenzhen) earlier this summer. For additional information, see August 11, 2017, article--Poland Seeks Chinese Aid for First Nuclear Plant and September 12, 2017 article--Poland Reignites Nuclear Power Plan.

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