Siemens to build power plant in Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - Dutch utility Nuon is forging ahead with plans for a new power plant near Amsterdam following a deal with Siemens Energy for the supply of a 435-megawatt MW turnkey combined heat and power CHP plant.

Siemens Energy, the energy division of German electrical and electronics giant Siemens AG, will oversee the construction of the gas-fired plant, supply most of the major components and be responsible for maintenance of the plant. When complete, the facility will generate enough electricity for more than 750,000 homes. The new plant will have an estimated efficiency rating of 59 and low nitrogen oxide emissions. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in late 2012, according to Nuon, a subsidiary of Swedish energy major Vattenfall AB.

Siemens will also lay an 8.5-kilometre heat-transportation pipeline from Diemen to Almere so that the residual heat, equivalent to a thermal capacity of 260 MW, can be used by approximately 25,000 homes in Amsterdam and Almere. There is an older plant on the proposed site with an electricity generating capacity of 250 MW and heat capacity of 180 MW.

The Diemen 34 plant will more than double Nuon's electricity and heat-generating capacity in the region and is being presented as one of the most eco-friendly and cost-effective combined-cycle plants in the Netherlands. In April, Nuon awarded Siemens a similar contract for another Dutch turnkey project, the 435-MW Hemweg 9 combined-cycle gas turbine CCGT power plant in Amsterdam. In the past three years, Siemens has also been awarded contracts for Dutch CCGT projects at Enecogen, Rijnmond and Sloe.

Michael Suess, CEO of the Fossil Power Generation Division of Siemens Energy, said: "With our concept for fast-start combined-cycle power plants offering fast load cycling and high efficiency levels, we provide solutions that optimally supplement the increasing share of renewables in the energy mix and thus ensure high grid stability together with operating economy and eco-friendliness."

Suess added: "Siemens combined-cycle power plants based on F Class gas turbine technology attain efficiency levels of over 59. The possibility of district heat extraction enables the achievement of a fuel utilization factor of over 85, which reduces specific CO2 emissions by approximately 20."

Along with turnkey construction, Siemens will supply the main components, including an SGT5-4000F gas turbine, an SST5-5000 steam turbine, an SGen5-2000H generator, all electrical equipment and an SPPA-T3000 instrumentation and control system. Siemens will also handle the maintenance on the gas turbine, steam turbine and generator.