20.06.2017
ORLEN completes the Włocławek CCGT project
It took over 18,000 m3 of concrete, close to 4,000 tonnes of steel, and a total of 200 km of power cables to complete PKN ORLEN’s CCGT cogeneration project in Włocławek. Altogether, the construction site saw over 25,000 qualified workers contributing to the project at different stages. Poland’s first high-capacity CCGT unit (463 MWe) will enhance the ORLEN Group’s operational excellence, while strengthening the national energy security.
It will ensure electricity and heat for ANWIL and a couple of other entities, with some of its heat output distributed throughout the Włocławek industrial complex, of which the plant is an integral part. All surplus electricity will be supplied to the National Power Grid. In terms of its environmental footprint, the unit complies with all the latest requirements of Polish and EU legislation.
Increasing the efficiency of our assets is one of the key objectives of our strategy. At both of our major energy projects, one built in Włocławek and one in Płock we are looking as part of a bigger picture. They are integrated with existing infrastructure, which allows us to maximise synergies while optimising capital expenditure - said Wojciech Jasiński, President of the Management Board of PKN ORLEN.
Close proximity to the GAZ-SYSTEM network and the PSE power grid make for an advantageous location of the new CCGT unit in Włocławek. The first gas power plant was built for PKN ORLEN by a consortium of General Electric and SNC-LAVALIN POLSKA. To keep its power train fully operational, PKN ORLEN has entered into a long-term servicing contract with General Electric. Upon completion of the investment phase, PKN ORLEN and the general contractor will enter into negotiations regarding financial settlements of the project.
The CCGT unit in Włocławek is one of PKN ORLEN’s two key cogeneration projects, the other one still being developed in Płock. Electricity produced by the two CCGT units in the high-efficiency cogeneration process will be used for the ORLEN Group’s in-house needs and sold in the domestic market. The Włocławek and Płock plants are industrial power projects tailored to the ORLEN Group’s needs, greatly enhancing the operational excellence of its Downstream business.
Through these projects, PKN ORLEN is gradually building up its power and heat generation potential. The Włocławek project having been completed, the total installed capacities of PKN ORLEN’s generation assets in Poland, the Czech Republic and Lithuania have come to 800 MWe for electrical power and nearly 4.6 GWt for heat. With the completion of the Płock project, the electrical power and heat generation capacities will increase by another 600 MWe and 530 MWt, respectively.
The Company’s energy projects are not focused solely on improving the efficiency of its Downstream business. PKN ORLEN is also working to increase the energy self-sufficiency of its service stations. It is now analysing the results of pilot photovoltaic solar energy projects implemented at PKN ORLEN facilities. A project is also under way, although still in its preliminary stages, to deploy wind turbines and energy storage banks at service stations, expected to take ORLEN’s innovative technology solutions to the next level.
