“Hengam is among the first combined cycle plants in the country to use F-class gas turbines,” Bargh News quoted Mohsen Tarztalab as saying.
The plant will soon have another 307 MW gas unit and a 292 MW steam unit, which will raise total capacity to 906 MW. It will be fully operational next year and cost $560 million, Financial Tribune quoted him as saying.
F-class gas turbines are defined by high performance, low power generation costs, long intervals between inspections, and a service-friendly design. Optimized flow and cooling add up to high efficiency and economically viable power generation in combined cycle applications.
On completion, the plant will supply electricity to 150,000 homes in the southern province off the Persian Gulf.
Thermal power plants in Hormozgan Province have installed capacity of over 3,000 MW and there are plans to increase this to 7,000 MW by 2024.
A combined cycle power plant uses both gas and steam turbines to produce up to 50% more electricity from the same fuel than a traditional simple cycle plant. The waste heat from the gas turbine is sent to a nearby steam turbine, which also generates electricity.
Efficiency Factor
It is reported that the Energy Ministry is gradually phasing out inefficient power plants, improve and expand electricity infrastructure and adopt modern power production technology.
Hengam Power Plant will have an efficiency rate of 59%, which is the highest for a plant with F-class turbines.
Energy efficiency of a conventional thermal power station, considered salable energy produced as a percent of the heating value of the fuel consumed, is typically 33% to 48%. Considering all the heat produced by gas and steam turbines, their efficiency is limited and governed by the laws of thermodynamics.
Effective steps have been taken to convert conventional plants into combined-cycle units to improve efficiency and reduce pollution and costs.
Average efficiency of domestic power plants is said to be around 37%. Thermal power stations account for 80% of total power generation of around 83 gigawatts in Iran and enhancing their efficiency is crucial.
TPPHC has signed a contract with the energy and infrastructure conglomerate Mapna for the construction of 5,000 MW of thermal power plants by 2024 using F-class gas turbines manufactured inside the country.