POWER October 2014 - 34

TOP PLANTS
Trianel Coal Power Plant
Lünen, North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany
Owner/operator: Trianel Kohlkraftwerk Lünen GmbH und Co. KG
Courtesy: Trianel Kohlkraftwerk Lünen GmbH und Co. KG
Although Germany's Energiewende is all about reducing consumption and transitioning
from nuclear and fossil fuels to renewable energy, it hasn't completely
halted the development of new coal-fired facilities. The Lünen plant demonstrates
that even in countries keen on renewables, coal is still an important resource.
Aaron Larson
G
ermany's energy transition-Energiewende-has
made a lot of headlines.
Whether you agree with the
country's energy policy or not, there is no
denying that it has spurred the growth of renewables.
Even so, change takes time, and
a bridging technology is necessary if the
country is to reach its goal. (To learn more
about recent changes to Germany's energy
policy, see " Germany Reforms Renewable
Energy Laws " listed with the August 2014
issue features online at powermag.com.)
With nuclear power clearly on the way out
in Germany-eight of the country's 17 reactors
were permanently shut down months
after the Fukushima disaster in 2011, and all
of the others are slated to close by the end
of 2022-coal-fired plants offer one proven
alternative to fill the void.
Making Choices
The 750-MW Lünen hard coal-fired power
34
plant lies on the Datteln-Hamm Canal, a major
inland waterway in northwest Germany.
Trianel Kohlkraftwerk Lünen GmbH und Co.
KG-a collaboration of 31 municipal utilities
and regional energy suppliers-selected
the location for several reasons.
A coal-processing company had previously
used the site, so it was already set up
with good transport connections for coal delivery.
The available plot size was suitable
for plant development, and the canal offered
a readily available source of cooling water
for the plant. In addition, a 380-kV transmission
system was relatively easy to link
to from the site.
Although the location offered several benefits,
it also came with challenges. Much of
the ground at the building site was fill composed
of mine tailings, which meant that the
subsoil needed extensive foundation work to
accommodate the heavily loaded structures
of a power plant. In the end, 811 concrete
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piles nearly 1 meter (m) in diameter at depths
varying between 25 m and 32 m were used to
create stable foundations for the largest structures,
such as the boiler and turbine buildings.
An additional 1,264 concrete piles and 1,992
stone piles were used for other structures on
the site.
Trianel received governmental approval
to begin construction on May 6, 2008. Two
days later, the collaboration of utilities and
energy suppliers that make up the shareholders
of the company decided unanimously
to go forward with the project. The
company selected Siemens AG to be the
general contractor for the turnkey plant.
IHI Corp. was chosen to manufacture the
boiler with AE&E Austria GmbH & Co KG
(later acquired by ANDRITZ) brought in to
do the installation.
The 100-m-tall boiler support structure
was a critical piece of the puzzle.
After considerable deliberation, a ChiPOWER
| October 2014
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POWER October 2014

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