GE said it has been awarded an order from the consortium Duro Felguera (DF Energy) – Romelectro for core technology in a new combined-cycle power plant from Romgaz in Iernut, Romania. With a planned installed generation capacity of 430 MW, the Iernut project is said to be southeastern Europe’s largest gas project in five years and is Romania’s largest public investment in conventional power in 20 years with a total investment of €268 million from Romgaz.
Duro Felguera (DF) is a Spanish turnkey provider of projects for the energy, mining and handling, oil & gas, smart control systems, communications, security and defense. The new combined-cycle power plant will be built within the existing gas-fired power plant site. Work will commence later in 2017 and the new plant is expected to replace the existing plant upon completion in 2019.
The new plant will incorporate four GE 6F.03 gas turbines, two steam turbines and four heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) as part of expanded scope solutions from GE’s portfolio following the acquisition of the former Alstom Power business. The new equipment is expected to increase the plant’s gross efficiency to 56.42% and reduce CO2 emissions by 38% compared to current levels.
GE said its technology will benefit the Romanian grid in multiple ways. In addition to flexible start up times of less than 15 minutes, the power plant will bring more stability to the grid by providing faster and more accessible energy reserves. The strategic location of the Iernut power plant — close to high-voltage lines connecting Romania’s different geographic regions — will enable energy providers to respond quickly to grid demand fluctuations in the region with minimal transmission and distribution loss, GE said.
This year, GE marks more than three decades of business in Romania. The company’s history dates back to 1984 when GE provided turbo-generator units for the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant.
