Once operational, the Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau CHP plants will deliver electricity equivalent to the power required for nearly 2.4 million German households
GE Vernova secures orders from EnBW for two CHP power stations in Germany. (Credit: EnBW)
EnBW has awarded two orders to GE Vernova for the supply of H-class natural gas-fired combined cycle power generation equipment for two combined heat and power (CHP) power stations in Germany.
The combined capacity of the power stations located in Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau, near Stuttgart, in Baden-Württemberg state, will be 1.34GW.
An international consortium comprising engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies Bonatti and SENER will be led by GE Vernova to execute the German CHP projects.
EnBW’s orders for the projects include the equipment and construction of the plants along with software solutions, maintenance and services for a period of 10 years.
The two CHP power stations will replace the existing coal-fired plants with more efficient natural gas fired plants.
The new power plants, with a capacity of 680MW each, are scheduled to commence operation by the end of 2026.
Under the orders, each plant will be equipped with a GE 9HA.01 gas turbine, an STF-D650 steam turbine, a W88 generator, and a triple pressure with reheat heat recovery steam generator (HRSG).
Besides, the power stations will be powered by GE Vernova’s integrated Mark VIe Distributed Control System (DCS) software solution to enhance asset visibility, reliability, and availability along with lowering operating and maintenance costs.
GE Vernova gas power business senior executive sales leader Brice Raisin said: “Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau CHPs will be the first new GE Vernova’s H-Class combined heat and power plants to be installed in Germany, and they are expected to be among the most efficient and flexible, once they begin operation.”
Once operational, the Heilbronn and Altbach/Deizisau CHP plants will deliver electricity equivalent to the power required for about 2.4 million German households.
They will also supply steam for district heating to benefit residents, businesses, and industries in both Heilbronn and the broader Stuttgart region.
The natural gas-fired plants are expected to support combustion with a future fuel mix of up to 100% by volume of hydrogen in the 2030s.
EnBW generation portfolio management senior vice president Michael Class said: “These power plants will help to increase power supply security in Germany while continuing to phase out coal and expand a more reliable deployment of renewable energy resources in our country as we’ll be able to dispatch power quickly in response to grid fluctuations.
“In addition, the two power plants are designed to operate on up to 100% hydrogen by volume, in line with the national goal to deploy renewables and green hydrogen at large scale, but foremost in line with EnBW’s sustainability goals to be carbon-neutral by 2035.”
Apart from awarding the orders, EnBW has started construction work at the Altbach site.