The Fortuna combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant in Lausward, west of Germany.
The placement was made on May 19, and according to Siemens, it marked an important milestone towards the commissioning of the plant, which is set to become the world’s biggest gas-fired combined cycle plant complex when completed.
Last June, Siemens AG received orders worth US$9 billion for high-efficiency natural gas-fired power plants and wind power installations in Egypt, which the German company described as the largest single order in its history.
Siemens’ projects will boost Egypt’s power generation capacity by 16.4 gigawatts (GW), more than 50 per cent higher than the current capacity.
Situated about 110km south of Cairo, the Beni Suef plant will start supplying its first electricity to the national energy grid as early as this winter. By subsequently adding heat exchangers and steam turbines it will be expanded into combined cycle mode, reaching a total installed capacity of 4.8 GW. This is enough to supply about 15 million Egyptians with electricity.
“The Egyptian people can count on Siemens. This was true more than 150 years ago, when Siemens first started working in Egypt, and it remains our commitment today,” said Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser.
Under the mega-project, Siemens will deliver three ready-to-use gas-steam power plants with a capacity of 4.8 GW each. The plants, which will go into operation in stages starting in summer 2017, will have a total capacity of 14.4 GW, Siemens said. Each of the three power plants – Beni Suef, Burullus and New Capital — will be powered by eight Siemens H-Class gas turbines, selected for their high output and record-breaking efficiency.
Siemens will also deliver up to 12 wind farms and about 600 wind turbines with a total capacity of 2 GW at the Suez channel and in the Western Nile region.
Siemens workers at the gas turbine manufacturing plant in Berlin. — Photos courtesy of Siemens.
Shipped around the globe
According to Siemens, there are currently 19 turbines in the SGT-8000H series in commercial operation, and they are setting the standard for efficiency, reliability and availability. Siemens has sold a total of 76 H-class gas turbines worldwide to date. This makes it the most successful gas turbine in this efficiency category in today’s global market.
Since introducing this turbine onto the market in 2010, Siemens has sold 39 of the turbines on the 50-Hertz (Hz) market worldwide. The largest single order to date for the SGT5-8000H turbine has come from Egypt, where a total of 24 H-class engines are being installed in the Beni Suef, Burullus and New Capital power plant projects.
Siemens has also sold 37 turbines worldwide on the 60-Hz market. The most recent order for two H-class turbines came from Mexico in January 2016 for the CFE Empalme II combined cycle plant. The SGT-8000H turbines are manufactured in Berlin, Germany, and Charlotte, US, and shipped from these locations to sites around the globe.
The first SGT5-8000H gas turbine entered commercial operation in 2011 in Irsching near Ingolstadt, Germany, with the next SGT6-8000H units for the 60-Hz market following in 2013 at the Cape Canaveral power plant in Florida, US, and the Dangjin 3 plant in South Korea. Siemens is investing its expertise acquired from roughly 23 years of operation in the continuous development of the H-class machines.
"The SGT-8000H achieves a very high degree of efficiency and is marked by short startup times and fast load-changing capabilities," said Theo Maas, head of Large Gas Turbines and Generators in the Siemens Power and Gas Division. "The turbines have proven themselves extensively in daily power plant operations after more than 200,000 hours of operation. The reliability of the SGT-8000H fleet is over 99 per cent, and availability is over 96 per cent."
Three world records
On January 26, the "Fortuna" combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant at the Lausward location in the port of Düsseldorf was successfully handed over to the customer and operator, the Stadtwerke Düsseldorf public utility company.
Combined cycle power plants equipped with SGT-8000H gas turbines achieve an efficiency level of over 60 per cent. The Lausward combined cycle plant at the Düsseldorf port has set three world records at once: The power plant with the SGT5-8000H gas turbine as its key component achieved a net efficiency level of about 61.5 per cent, with a maximum net electrical generating capacity of 603.8 megawatts (MW). The plant is also able to provide 300 MW(th) of heat for the city of Düsseldorf’s district heating network. The installation of an H-class gas turbine in this kind of combined heat and power plant (CHP) has proven to be one of the most efficient ways to convert fuel into usable energy. The high fuel efficiency of the plant plays an important role in meeting economic requirements and reducing the environmental impact.
It is amazing that at the Fortuna unit of the Lausward Power Station, the most modern and powerful combined-cycle power plant in the world in the west of Germany, you “see nothing, hear nothing and smell nothing.”
This increases the overall efficiency of natural gas as a fuel to 85 per cent. The heart of the "Fortuna" CCGT power plant is the extremely powerful SGT5-8000H gas turbine from Siemens. Highly efficient and flexible CCGT power plants ideally complement renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, which are subject to fluctuations in their power outputs.
This year, Germany’s Siemens AG, one of the largest engineering companies in Europe, unveiled its new brand identity, “Ingenuity for life”.
With the arrival of Egypt’s first H-class gas turbines, Siemens has launched its new branding campaign in Egypt and the Middle East.
“Today’s milestone in Beni Suef is a perfect example of what we call ingenuity for life,” said Dietmar Siersdorfer, CEO of Siemens Middle East. “With our engineering expertise, our power of innovation and local partners, we create long-term value and jobs for the people of Egypt and beyond.”