GE upgrades Polish district heating plant

GE’s Power Services business has announced it will modernise one of three turbine generator sets at Veolia Energia Poznan ZEC SA, a 275 MW district-heating plant. GE gained global capabilities to service non-GE supplied steam turbine equipment through its acquisition of Alstom Power’s thermal services business in November 2015.

“We are pleased to select GE to help us increase the efficiency and output of our steam turbines,” said Jan Pic, member of the board and Operational Director of Veolia Energia Poznan ZEC. “This project will help the station operate more efficiently, as we want to strengthen our position in a very competitive environment.”

The Veolia Energia Poznan station includes one 65 MW Zamech unit and two 105 MW Zamech units. GE plans to increase Unit 3’s output by up to 6 MW and improve turbine efficiency by up to 6%. Additionally, to improve the turbine’s operational flexibility the operator will be able to disconnect the low-pressure part of the steam turbine while it is in full district-heating mode.

“When GE acquired Alstom Power’s technology portfolio in 2015, it absorbed the ability to service generation equipment from other manufacturers, including the Zamech turbines installed at the Veolia Energia Poznan station,” said Pascal Schweitzer, general manager of GE’s Power Services business in Europe. ”Our coal business is well-positioned to respond to future energy needs. We have one of the highest-efficiency, lowest-emissions technologies—coupled with our digital solutions—and we are excited to help position Veolia to remain competitive and ‘win’ with its existing fleet.”

The steam turbine modernisation outage at the Veolia Energia Poznan station is expected to start in May 2017.

Edited from press release by Angharad Lock

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/power/18072016/ge-upgrades-polish-district-heating-plant-2038/