ABB to build 480-megawatt combined-cycle plant for independent power producer (IPP) at Marmara-Ereglisi
Zurich, Switzerland, November 7, 1996 - ABB, the international electrical engineering company, has received a turnkey contract to build a gas-fired 480-megawatt combined-cycle power plant at Marmara-Ereglisi, some 100 kilometers west of Istanbul, Turkey. The US$ 360-million order, of which the direct ABB part is valued at approximately US$ 320 million, was placed by the independent private power producer Uni-Mar Enerji Yatirimlari A.S., Ankara, Turkey. Uni-Mar is currently co-owned by the Marubeni Corporation of Tokyo, Japan and Unit International S.A. of Brussels, Belgium. The project will be implemented on a build, operate, transfer (BOT) basis and the power plant is scheduled to come into service as early as 1998. It will be operated by National Power, a British electrical utility.
ABB will supply two gas turbosets and one steam turboset, the complete electrical infrastructure, including the overall power plant control system, and the associated 380-kilovolt switchyard. The two 160-megawatt ABB type GT13E2 gas turbines for the power plant will be manufactured in Kobe, Japan by ABB's joint venture company with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd (KHI). As main contractor, ABB is also responsible for the general engineering, design, overall project management and power plant performance. ABB's other main partners for the project are Cockerill Mechanical Industries, Seraing, Belgium, who will supply the heat recovery steam generators and Entes, Istanbul, who will carry out the civil works and the site construction.
The power plant will incorporate ABB's advanced combined-cycle technology with low-NOx burners, which achieve high fuel efficiency, reduced operating costs and low emissions, making Marmara one of the most efficient power plants in Turkey. The fast-growing internal development of the country has led to a strong demand for electricity and this large power plant, situated not far from Istanbul, will make a major contribution towards supporting Turkey's economic growth.
A financing scheme for the project has been arranged with a consortium of international banks, with export credit insurance facilities from Austria, Belgium, Germany and Japan.
ABB has been a major contributor to the build-up of the Turkish power supply industry, having supplied half of the country's installed generating capacity of 22,000 megawatts and also having built Turkey's first combined-cycle power plant at Trakya, which has an output of 1,200 megawatts.
ABB's Power Generation segment employs more than 46,000 people worldwide with orders in 1995 of over US$ 10 billion. The ABB Group employs approximately 217,000 people with orders in 1995 of over US$ 36 billion.
