On 9 May RWE and GE officially inaugurated the Biblis power plant, which started operations with Germany’s transmission system operators in early March. The plant uses 11 units of GE’s LM2500XPRESS unit, an aeroderivative gas turbine, as well as GE’s gas-insulated-substation equipment. The 300 MW plant is so-called ‘special grid-technical equipment’ located in Biblis, a municipality in the Southern Hesse region of Germany, and will only operate when needed – aiming to deliver power within 30 minutes upon request from a transmission system operator – to help ensure grid stability.
Grid flexibility is important to the German government which is committed to achieving 80% of renewable energy generation for the country’s electricity mix before the end of the decade after exiting nuclear and ideally phasing out coal power generation. Dispatchable gas power – decarbonised in stages through hydrogen or carbon capture solutions – is intended to cover the remaining 20% of power generation.
GE’s turbines are connected to the grid via a 380 kV substation at the Biblis site. The T168 GIS is the first outdoor gas insulated substation in Germany.
GE’s LM2500XPRESS power plant is built on GE’s LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine technology with an installed base of more than 1500 units and more than 120 million operating hours.
Image: The Biblis Plant
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