How to purchase a ready-made thermal power plant abroad and transport it to Ukraine: Experience of a Ukrainian company.
‘The Ukrainian energy system is under constant attack by the aggressor. Due to the actions of the terrorist country, up to 80% of domestic thermal generation has already been destroyed or damaged. Through enormous effort, Ukrainian energy workers have managed to stabilize the energy system, as a result, long-lasting blackouts ceased. However, this does not mean that the disabled capacities have been miraculously restored; it simply means that two nuclear power units have come out of planned maintenance.
However, though nuclear generation covers the country’s basic electricity needs, it is virtually incapable of responding promptly to peak daily loads. The maneuverable generation, which allows for avoiding blackouts, comprises thermal and hydropower stations which have incurred the greatest destruction. Traditionally, restoring or building new thermal power plants, along with manufacturing, purchasing, and installing the necessary equipment, requires many years. However, the situation demands non-standard solutions, including the relocation of the existing stations from other countries to Ukraine. Currently, the company is considering various options to support the Ukrainian energy system and planning to implement the first project on transportation of a new thermal power plant from abroad and install it on the territory of Ukraine. In one of the neighboring countries, our company’s specialists have discovered an inactive thermal power plant built between 2016 and 2018. Back then, the launch of the facility lost its relevance due to increase in natural gas prices, therefore, the thermal power plant has never functioned in its homeland.
The readiness of this facility is 90% (with 100% of the components already available at the warehouse of the plant). The thermal power plant has a high efficiency rating, with a rated capacity of 60 MW. Undoubtedly, an advantage of the facility is its cutting-edge equipment. First and foremost, it concerns Rolls-Royce turbines (notably, turbines produced by Rolls-Royce are installed in the largest modern passenger aircrafts – Airbus A380 and Boeing 747). The rest of the main equipment was also meticulously selected. The thermal power plant is equipped with Siemens generators and Alstom transformers – these are the companies known worldwide for their energy-efficient solutions.
A unique asset of the plant is the attractive design of the administrative building with the marble flooring. There are relay protection cabinets, an automated control, accounting, and electricity monitoring system in the building. The administrative building is typically used by operational personnel and the duty shift; moreover, it can accommodate a cafeteria for employees, etc. Our company has swiftly found the partners experienced in the installation of such facilities. In cooperation with them, we are ready to dismantle the plant, package the equipment, transport it to Ukraine, and install it in the new location.
It is possible to complete this complicated process relatively quickly, in just 8-12 months, which means the plant could be ready for operation in Ukraine in a year. The new thermal power plant will add 60 MW to the Ukrainian energy system, which makes up 0.25% of the total generation in peak hours, or 0.5% of the country’s minimum consumption. The estimated cost of the project is approximately €50 million. This sum is relatively small, so such facilities are in demand abroad: not only Ukrainians but also foreign specialists are interested in purchasing the plant.
Moreover, in spring 2024, the possibility of relocation of the shut-down coal-fired thermal power plants from Germany and Lithuania to Ukraine was actively discussed at the level of the Ukrainian government. The business sector has embraced this idea, analyzed the situation in the energy equipment markets of other countries, and is already ready to implement the project.
Ukrainian energy workers also expect some interest to be shown by the state, because the issue of the energy security of the country comes within the government’s competence. Skeptics might argue that 60 MW of capacity will not solve all the problems of the Ukrainian energy sector. Indeed, our company’s project must become just one of multiple steps toward restoration of Ukraine’s energy system. However, thermal power plants with a capacity of 50-100 MW are crucial for the country now. Such generation facilitates maneuvering in peak loads, whereas a large number of similar plants solve the issue of distributed generation, being able to withstand damage’,
commented the Head of Research and Production Enterprise ENERGO-PLUS LLC, Yevhen Korf.
Source:
No. 29-30 (1342-1343) dated August 18, 2024
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