Power and automation solution will optimize production and minimize greenhouse gas emissions at new high-efficiency combined heat and power plant in Berlin.
ABB has been entrusted by IBERDROLA Engineering and Construction to provide a turnkey power and automation solution for the Lichterfelde combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Berlin, Germany. The plant is owned and operated by Vattenfall, one of Europe’s leading power utilities.
The German government has set a target to increase the amount of power generated by CHP plants in the country’s energy mix from 13 percent to 25 percent by 2020 as part of its Integrated Energy and Climate Change Program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The plant will be fueled by natural gas and have the capacity to produce 230 megawatts (MW) of heat and around 300 MW of electricity for some 100,000 homes in Lichterfelde, a suburb of Berlin.
The new facility will replace an existing CHP plant that was built more than 40 years ago on the same site. By using state-of-the-art power and automation technologies, the new plant will target a fuel efficiency of up to 85 percent and aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 100,000 tons a year compared to the old plant. Production at the new facility is scheduled to start in 2016.
“Our portfolio of optimization technologies, our domain expertise and track record is enabling power generation plants all over the world to operate at benchmark levels of efficiency and reliability” said Massimo Danieli, head of ABB’s Power Generation business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division. “We are pleased to support Germany’s efforts to meet its electricity needs while minimizing environmental impact.”
ABB will supply a fully integrated control, electrical, instrumentation and mechanical solution that will enable the plant to produce heat and power energy efficiently and respond rapidly to changes in demand from the local power distribution and district heating networks.
The solution comprises an integrated control system based on ABB’s Symphony® Plus total plant automation system, and a wide range of ABB products such as step-up transformers, generator circuit breakers, power protection equipment, switchgear and auxiliaries. ABB will also supply the electrical balance of plant and mechanical systems such as the pressure reduction station, gas compressor, fire protection and the compressed air system. ABB’s turnkey project scope includes design, engineering, installation, system integration and commissioning.