New unit inaugurated at Fortum’s Tyumen power plant in Russia
A new unit was inaugurated today at Fortum’s combined heat and power (CHP) plant Tyumen CHP-1 in the city of Tyumen in Western Siberia. The new unit is the first of seven units in Fortum’s extensive investment programme in Russia; the unit will begin commercial operation during the first half of next year.
The new unit is natural gas-fired, combined-cycle gas turbine plant. It has a production capacity of 230 megawatts (MW) electricity and 293 MW heat. The unit will boost the plant’s total electricity production capacity to 662 MW and its heat production capacity to 1,640 MW. As part of the Russian investment programme, two more units, each with an electricity production capacity of 225 MW, will be constructed for the Tyumen CHP-1 plant. They are estimated to be completed in 2014.
The new unit provides clear environmental benefits
Combined-cycle gas turbine plants represent the best available technology in gas-fired power production.The energy efficiency of the new unit is over 85% while the efficiency of the existing units is approximately 60%. Compared with the current energy production in the Tyumen area, carbon dioxide emissions will reduce by 400 000 tonnes annually.
”This is a very significant day for us, as we inaugurated the first unit of our investment programme. It will add new production capacity needed by West Siberia’s gas and oil industry and will help us improve the efficiency of our energy production in Tyumen,” says Fortum’s President and CEO Tapio Kuula. ”We will continue to build new capacity in the Ural and West Siberia regions through our extensive investment programme. Russia is an important home market for Fortum, and we want to participate in the development of the power and heat markets together with our Russian partners,” he summarizes.
Russia’s first modern heat measurement system installed in Tyumen
Upgrading the district heat networks and improving the efficiency of heat distribution is also a key component in improving energy efficiency in Russia. In conjunction with the inauguration of the new unit, the first equipment measuring the district heat feed and consumption was installed in Tyumen between the trunk network owned by OAO Fortum and the city’s distribution network. Utilizing GPRS-data transfer, it is the first digitalised heat measurement system in Russia. During 2011, there will be 159 similar units installed in the city. These units will enable Fortum to pinpoint heat distribution problem spots and thus reduce heat losses.