Key successes for Alstoms GT26 gas turbine technology in the United Kingdom and the Middle East

Alstom was selected for two major projects for GT26-based combined cycle power plants, including a total of nine GT26 gas turbines, in the UK and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

In the UK, Alstom signed a contract valued at 850 million with RWE npower plc for the construction and the maintenance support of a turnkey combined-cycle power plant at Staythorpe, central England. Under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract, Alstom will design, supply, install and commission the 1,650 MW gas power plant. The contract also includes a long term spare parts agreement.

The Staythorpe power plant is a part of RWEs plan to renew its generation portfolio with new more efficent and more environmentally friendly plants. According to Andrew Duff, Group Chief Executive Officer of RWE npower, the investment in this new power plant to be built by Alstom will put us on track to reduce the amount of CO2 we emit per unit of power generated by one third by 2015 compared to 2000, and by one half compared to 1990 levels. 

In the United Arab Emirates, an Alstom-led consortium was awarded a 1.6 billion project to build a 2,000 MW power and 130 MIGD* (591 million litre) desalination plant. The power station will be built around Alstoms GT26 gas turbine, and marks the first time that this technology has been sold in the region. Alstoms share of the project is worth 1 billion. The booking of the contract is expected in the second half of fiscal year 2007/08 after the final closing of the project is completed.

The  plant, located in Qidfa, in the Emirate of Fujairah, will support the fast-growing need for potable water and electricity in the northern Emirates and is expected to be operational by mid-2010.

Worldwide, 81 GT24/ GT26 gas turbines are today in commercial operation and this fleet has already accumulated more than 2.3 million fired hours. The superior operating flexibility characteristics of the sequential combustion GT26 gas turbine combined with Alstom's unique plant integrator capabilities have allowed Alstom to design power plants optimised to meet the specific requirements of the projects in Staythorpe and Fujairah. The Staythorpe plant will be able to vary power output, whilst maintaining low emissions and high efficiency, to meet the daily variations in electricity demand. Similarly, the Fujairah plant will be able to operate over a wide range of power outputs while maintaining full desalination capacity.
 

* 130 million imperial gallon per day                    

We are very pleased to be awarded the contract from RWE npower and to assist our customer in achieving its target of reduced emissions, due to its investment in high efficiency power plants. It demonstrates the merits of our strategy to offer integrated and optimised power plants to the UK, in one of the most deregulated and competitive power markets in the world, says Patrick Kron, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Alstom. Once completed, the Fujairah plant will be one of the largest combined desalination and power generation stations in the world. Alstom is honoured to contribute to the countrys efforts to help meet its increasing power and water needs. 

About Staythorpe contract 

The Staythorpe power plant will comprise four combined-cycle units, each including one advanced class GT26 gas turbine with high operational flexibility and lowest in-class emissions, one compact, state-of-the-art reheat steam turbine, one high efficiency hydrogen-cooled TOPGAS generator and one triple pressure reheat heat recovery steam generator (HRSG).

Furthermore, Alstom was awarded a contract to provide operation and maintenance support to the station up to the first major inspection of each machine, as well as a Long Term Spare Parts Agreement for the first 20 years of plant operation.

Additionally, in the past 18 months, Alstom has been awarded EPC and service contracts for combined-cycle power plants in the UK from Centrica (Langage, 885 MW) and from E.ON UK (Grain 1,275 MW).

About the Alstom-led consortium contract win in the United Arab Emirates 

The contract was signed with the project development consortium comprising International Power Plc and Marubeni Corp - who will implement the project in partnership with the government-owned major utility Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) who initiated the project. A consortium comprising Alstom and Sidem, with Alstom supplying the power plant and Sidem the desalination plant, is slated to build the plant.

Under the contract, Alstom will provide all engineering, procurement and construction services for the turnkey supply of the 2000 MW combined-cycle power plant based on the GT26 gas turbine, including the in-house supply of all main equipment, which comprises five GT26 gas turbines, five heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), three steam turbines, eight turbogenerators and associated control systems. Sidem will supply the 130 MIGD (million imperial gallon per day) hybrid desalination plant, based on multi-effect distillation and reverse osmosis technologies. The power plant will operate in cogeneration mode, supplying steam and power to the desalination plant for potable water production.

The power plant is Alstoms first contract with an independent water power producer (IWPP) in the Middle East and demonstrates Alstoms capability to offer integrated and optimised power-desalination solutions. This new contract will reinforce Alstoms position in the Middle East, following the recent contract for the turnkey construction of a GT13E2-based cogeneration plant for aluminium giant Dubal in Dubai.

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