Alstom secures contract to retrofit block 4 and 5 at Mátra Power Plant in Hungary

Alstom has secured a contract worth 12 million from Mátrai Erm Ltd. to renovate the steam turbines of blocks 4 and 5. The project is the largest renovation project in Hungary in the past 8 years in which the original performance and availability of the blocks will be restored using a unique solution. This lignite-fired power plant with an installed base of 950 MW is the largest coal fired power plant in Hungary, supplying energy to close to 1 million households and 21% of the total energy production in the country.

As part of the order, Alstom will renovate 2 turbines of 232 MW capacity each, and the auxiliary subsystems in Mátra Power Plant. Field works, engineering, quality control and project management will be performed by the local service team of Alstom of 60 experts. During the project, low, intermediate and high pressure units of the turbines will be modernised. Subsystems of the turbines, such as safety and control, gland steam, jacking and lube oil, turbine drain systems as well as bleedings are also part of the order. The works on the turbines will be completed in the workshops of Alstom in Mannheim and Berlin, Germany as well as in Birr, Switzerland.

Thanks to the renovation we aim to restore the original performance of the equipment said András Giczey, Director of Mátra Power Plant. It will allow for a more cost efficient operation as well as increased availability. Thanks to the increased energy supply security of the power plant, Mátra Power Plant will continue providing a significant share of the domestic energy production he added.

The process for the renovation is unique in Hungary, with Alstom renovating a turbine unit purchased by Mátra Power Plant from another power station, replacing the equipment in Block V, and then in turn using this one to renovate and replace the one in Bloc IV. This method allows for only 66 days of outage time per block, which is significantly lower timeframe compared to a usual turbine overhaul, as the blocks need to be shut down only for time of the replacement of the equipment. In contrast, if the blocks needed to be shut down for the entire renewal time, it would necessitate close to one and a half times more, 90 days of outage, which would mean a significantly longer electricity production loss period.

Alstoms professional relations with the power plant goes back to its construction, this is why we are delighted to provide our state-of-the-art expertise to this project said Dr. Csaba Kiss, Managing Director of Power Service Division of Alstom Hungary.

Beyond the order from Mátra, Alstom is progressing well with the renewal of the generators of Paks Nuclear Power Plant. Alstoms Power Service Sector secured the 5.1 million contract to retrofit the rotors of 8 operating  and 1 spare generator at MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant in 2013. According to the contract, one rotor per year is being renewed in the power station, and Alstom has already successfully refurbished the third rotor this year.

About Mátra Power Plant
Mátra Power Plant supplier 21% of the total energy production of Hungary in itself. This power plant with an installed base of 950 MW is the largest lignite fired power plant in Hungary, its lignite fired units include two 100 MW, one 220 MW, two 232 MW blocks as well as two 33 MW capacity gas fired blocks. The power plant builds the largest 15 MW photovoltaic power station in Hungary. The power station built out of 6,4 billion HUF investment, is planned to be put in operation in October this year.

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1 Mátra
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