Combined cycle unit, Elektrėnai Power Plant

The Lithuanian Power Plant, Elektrėnai (the LPP) – a structural department of Lietuvos energija, AB produces electricity and heat energy, and provides ancillary services. The plant is situated 2 km northeast of Elektrenai town. The current area of the power station covers 144.68 ha. After the shutdown of the Ignalina’ Nuclear Power Plant in 2010, the LPP became the largest source of electricity generation in Lithuania.

Combined Cycle Gas Turbine unit

After the shutdown of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in December 2010, the LPP set some new objectives. One of the most significant is to remain the primary generating source of electric energy in Lithuania while at the same time fulfilling electricity demands. In order to achieve these objectives, a new 455 MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) unit was built. The unit was officialy opened in October 2012. The unit will produce sufficient electricity to cover 20-25% of Lithuanian domestic demand. Moreover, the amount of natural gas used to produce the same amount of energy, will be reduced by up to 30%. The LPP will continue its efficient operation in order to ensure energy security, reliability and energy reserves of the state. 

The overall efficiency of the CCGT unit exceeds 58%. It is able to generate enough electricity to cover 20-25% of Lithuania’s total demand. No one doubts its efficiency because the unit yields natural gas savings of 30% generating the same amount of electricity as the units based on ordinary technology. Lithuania will not be alone in experiencing benefit of Lietuvos Energija, AB CCGT unit project. The new unit will supply electricity to other Baltic States as well. 

Investment

The unit’s construction cost amounted to LTL 1.3 billion. The project was financed from the Ignalina International Decommissioning Support Fund. Funds were also provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, commercial banks and Lietuvos Energija itself. An agreement with Spain’s concern Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion, S.A.U. on the unit’s construction was signed at the end of April 2009, and it took over 3 years to build the unit. 

Progress 

Combined-cycle technology is widely used in the European energy sector. The EU’s strict emission standards helped to achieve additional benefit in increasing the efficiency of fuel consumption in the field of electricity production. Much of outdated ineffective and redundant equipment was replaced with fuel-efficient combined-cycle technology which can achieve efficiency of up to 50–60%. Meanwhile, using conventional technology only 25-40% of fuel is converted into electric energy. CCGT is one of the most efficient technologies at the moment, compared to the old-fashioned thermal fossil fuel units. Due to high thermal efficiency, CCGT units do not use additional fuel and achieve higher than usual capacity. So, the amount of emissions produced for every kilowatt hour of electricity is reduced and the unit’s productivity is significantly increased.

The CCGT unit in Elektrėnai was a second project implemented in the Baltic region, which used a 9FB gas turbine supplied by the world famous company General Electric. This turbine is one of the most advanced in the world. The similar equipment was installed at Riga’s 2nd Power Station, which is the largest in Latvia.

• More information:http://www.le.lt/en/