POWER October 2011 - 16

In addition to EPC, Siemens will supply the main components,
namely, an SGT5-4000F gas turbine, an SST5-3000-series
steam turbine, an SGen5-2000H generator, all electrical
equipment, an SPPA-T3000 instrumentation and control (I&C)
system, and the ancillary and auxiliary systems. Marubeni will
be responsible for supply of the heat-recovery steam generator,
the main transformers and switchgear, and for erection
and installation of the overall plant.
The Wang Noi Block 4 combined cycle power plant will
be built as an extension to the existing complex Wang Noi
Blocks 1 to 3. The plant will be of multi-shaft design consisting
of two SGT5-4000F gas turbines, an SST5-5000 steam
turbine, three SGen-1000A generators, the entire electrical
and I&C (SPPA-T3000) equipment, and the ancillary and auxiliary
systems.
Thailand is the largest per capita power consumer in Southeast
Asia-owing to high consumption by its steel, textiles,
and rubber industries-and currently has an installed power
plant capacity of approximately 39 GW. Demand is expected
to grow at 3.5% per year, and the government has plans to
increase the country's total installed capacity to 52 GW by
2020. Gas-fired power plants, which already have a major
share of the country's capacity profile, are expected to supply
5% of the country's power by 2015. Siemens recently
posted several orders from the country for the supply of 20
industrial gas turbines.
GE Energy Completes $3.2 Billion Deal to Acquire
Converteam. In early September, GE completed its $3.2
billion acquisition of Converteam, a provider of power conversion
and automation systems and high-efficiency power
electronics, motors, and generators. The acquisition will enable
GE to better replace or improve mechanical processes
with high-efficiency electric alternatives, the company said.
Converteam's portfolio includes variable-frequency drives and
other power electronics that are widely used in the renewable
energy sector, turning intermittent and variable power from
solar, wind and, tidal sources into power.
NRG Solar Begins Operations at New Mexico's Roadrunner
Facility. NRG Solar, a subsidiary of New Jersey-
based NRG Energy, on Aug. 31 began producing power at its
20-MW Roadrunner Solar Generating Facility, a photovoltaic
(PV) project in Santa Teresa, N.M., about 10 miles from El
Paso, Texas. The plant, the first operated by the company
outside California, uses First Solar's advanced thin-film PV
solar modules, which are mounted on single-axis trackers.
First Solar, which was the project's EPC contractor, will also
be the operations and maintenance contractor for the 210acre
facility. Power generated by the Roadrunner facility will
be sold to El Paso Electric under a 20-year power purchase
agreement (PPA).
GDF SUEZ to Expand Brazilian Hydroelectric Plant.
GDF SUEZ and International Power, a company owned 70%
by GDF SUEZ, on Aug. 18 announced that it would expand
the already massive 3,300-MW Jirau hydroelectric project on
the Madeira River in Brazil to 3,750 MW, adding six units
to the original concession of 44 units. The announcement
comes on the heels of new PPAs as a result of the A-3 energy
auction held in Brazil on Aug. 17. GDF SUEZ said in a statement
that power from the six additional units-a total of
209 MW-would be sold at a regulated market price of 102
reals/MWh ($64/MWh) for 30 years, starting in 2014. About
73% of the power that will be produced by the project has
been contracted under long-term PPAs, and the balance will
16
be sold in the free market-mostly to industrial customers.
GDF SUEZ and International Power are building the plant (50
units of about 75 MW each) with Energia Sustentavel do
Brasil and will transfer the project to Tractebel Energia
when fully complete.
Voith Wins Order for 1,850-MW Hydropower Plant in
Brazil. Brazil's per-capita electricity use is expected to rise
by almost a third, prompting the South American nation to
add 6,920 MW of generating capacity-much of which is hydropower-every
year during the next decade. The country's
environmental agency, IBAMA, in August granted an environmental
license to the 1,850-MW Teles Pires hydropower plant
on the border of the Mato Grosso and Para states. Following
the approval, on Aug. 22, Voith Hydro said it signed a €220
million ($312 million) contract for the supply of 404-MVA
generators for the plant's five Francis turbines, as well as its
control and automation systems, its substations, mechanical
and electrical balance of plant, associated transmission system,
and the project's detailed engineering.
MHI, CTCI to Build Three Supercritical Coal Plants for
Taiwanese Firm. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI)
and CTCI Corp.-Taiwan's largest EPC firm-said on Sept. 1
they received a full turnkey order from state-owned Taiwan
Power Co. (Taipower) for a project to construct three coalfired
supercritical-pressure power generation units at Taipower's
Linkou Thermal Power Plant. The three units (1, 2, and
3), each rated at 800 MW, will replace existing facilities at
the plant based on Taiwan's energy source development plan.
Units 1 and 2 are scheduled to come online in November 2015
and November 2016 respectively, and Unit 3 will go online in
November 2020. The Linkou Thermal Power Plant is located in
northern Taiwan, approximately 12 miles west of central Taipei.
Each power generation unit consists primarily of a boiler,
steam turbine, and generator. MHI will be responsible for the
manufacture and supply of the three boilers and three steam
turbines. The three generators will be produced by Mitsubishi
Electric Corp.
Taiwan's electricity needs have been increasing every year,
along with continuous economic growth supported by robust
external demand. Although Taiwan's power generation business
has been liberalized since 1994, Taipower continues to
generate near 75% of all electricity. The company transmits
and distributes energy by purchasing electricity produced by
independent power producers. In 2010, Taiwan's total power
generation capacity was 40,250 MW.
E.ON Commissions Russian Gas Turbines. E.ON in July
officially commissioned two new combined cycle gas turbine
units, each 400 MW, at its Surgutskaya GRES-2 power station
in West Siberia, Russia. The German company said it is now
one of the largest buyers of Russian gas and also the biggest
foreign investor in the Russian power market. E.ON said in
a statement that the efficiency of each unit at Surgutskaya
GRES-2 is 55.9%.
Alstom Signs Contract for 125-MW Solar Steam Turbine.
Alstom in August signed a contract with U.S. firm Cobra
Thermosolar Plants to supply a 125-MW steam turbine
and a generator for a thermal solar plant in Tonopah, Nev.,
using tower technology. The turbine will be delivered in September
2012 and the solar plant will be commissioned by the
end of 2013. The project is the application of an innovative
solar energy storage technology and will produce 500,000
MWh per year to be sold to Nevada utility NV Energy. ■
-Sonal Patel is POWER's senior writer.
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POWER | October 2011
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POWER October 2011

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