04.01.2016
‘First fire’ − Włocławek CCGT plant’s gas turbine comes online
The 463 MWe CCGT unit in Włocławek has been successfully fired up, with the gas turbine reaching the target rotation speed of 3,000 rpm. This marks another stage of the start-up phase to be completed in the middle of this year.
The following stages of the start-up process will focus on preparing the plant for its first synchronisation to the national grid, scheduled for January, and further unit optimisation. The adjustment phase is expected to end in the second quarter of next year, with PKN ORLEN taking comprehensive measurements of guaranteed process parameters and project acceptance.
It is a historic moment for PKN ORLEN and for Poland’s power industry as a whole. We have started up our flagship project, and the country’s first high-capacity CCGT unit with vast potential for strengthening ORLEN Group’s operational excellence and improving the security of the National Power System - says Piotr Chełmiński, Member of the PKN ORLEN Management Board, Development and Power Generation.
Close proximity to the GAZ-SYSTEM network and the PSE OPERATOR power grid make for an advantageous location of the new plant in Włocławek. Close proximity to Anwil’s facilities with their existing infrastructure has helped to optimise capital expenditure.
PKN ORLEN’s first gas-fired power plant in Włocławek is being constructed by a consortium of General Electric and SNC-LAVALIN POLSKA under a contract with an estimated value of roughly PLN 1.4bn VAT-exclusive. In order to ensure that the power train works efficiently, PKN ORLEN has entered into a long-term servicing agreement with General Electric.
The CCGT unit in Włocławek is one of PKN ORLEN’s two key cogeneration projects, the other being the Płock plant. Electricity produced by the two CCGT units in the high-efficiency cogeneration process will be used for the ORLEN Group’s in-house purposes and sold in the domestic market. The Włocławek and Płock plants are industrial power projects tailored to ORLEN Group’s needs, greatly enhancing the operational excellence of its Downstream business (Refining, Petrochemicals, Power Generation and Wastewater Management).
The investment projects at PKN ORLEN are designed to enhance the Company’s power and heat generation potential. The current total installed capacity at PKN ORLEN’s generating assets in Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania is more than 760 MW for electrical power and nearly 5,000 MW for heat. With the two new projects in operation, installed capacity will increase by over 1,000 MW and 630 MW, respectively.
