Building begins at Surgut

E.ON, through its majority stake in OGK-4, has become one of the most significant generating companies in Russia and the CIS. In Russia, it plans to increase its generating capacity by about 28 % by 2011, from 8630 MW to 11030 MW. This is to be achieved by introducing four new combined-cycle gas turbine units at Surgutskaya, Shaturskaya, and Yayvinskaya GRES, and a coal fired unit at Berezovskaya GRES. The CCGTs are designed for thermal efficiency ratings exceeding 55 %. At Shatura CMI Energy is supplying a horizontal HRSG (3 pressure levels +reheat) for a GE 9FA gas turbine and for the Bechtel/Enka project at Yayva a vertical HRSG with a Siemens SGT5-4000F GT.

Of its r2 billion (93 billion rouble) total investment programme, E.ON is investing approximately r800 million at Surgut. Work has already started on the construction of two new CCGT units at the facility which is located in southern Siberia. The two units will add 800 MW to the existing power plant, taking its total capacity to 5600 MW. When Surgut was constructed in 1988 it was the highest capacity fossil fired plant in the world, and is still among of the largest. Its new capacity will raise it to number two behind Taichung (5834 MW) which has the dubious distinction of being the world’s most carbon dioxide emitting plant, and just ahead of Poryong CCGT at 5454 MW. On its own it will produce 64% of OGK-4’s total output.

The contract to build the new plant has been undertaken by GE and Turkish engineering firm Gama (in which GE has a 50% stake) and is a replica of the Shatura project with two CMI triple pressure horizontal HRSGs to be installed with the GE 9FA GT. The new gas turbines are scheduled to become operational in December 2010.

Unlike its main competitors in the Russian electricity sector, E.ON is not seeking to vertically integrate electricity generation, supply and grid assets, but is focusing instead on power production. ‘We looked into the issue [of vertical integration] and we decided not to move in this direction’ said Berndt Dubberstein, development director for E.ON Russia Power, one of the company’s Russian units.

Surgut is situated in Tyumen, Khanty-Mansiisk autonomous region, the centre of Russia’s oil producing heartland, and provides electricity for around 40% of the region’s population. Consumption is expected to grow over the next few years.

Surgutskaya 2, Shaturskaya, Berezovskaya, Smolenskaya and Yayvinskaya power plants are subsidiaries of OGK-4. E.ON acquired a majority stake (76.09%) in the genco in 2007. The business runs a fleet of comparatively modern and efficient power stations in the Russian regions Urals, Western Siberia, Volga, and Central Russia.