A milestone in the construction of the PGE Nowy Rybnik gas and steam power unit
At the Rybnik power plant, the installation of a gas turbine has been completed, which together with the generator will produce around 593 MWe of electricity. It is one of the largest units of its kind in Europe and will provide a secure electricity supply for 2 million consumers in Poland from 2027.
‘The gas-fired power plant under construction by PGE, worth around PLN 3.6 billion, is currently one of the largest energy projects in the country. This makes us all the more pleased that the leader of the consortium that is carrying out this project is a Polish company. The project, which is being carried out in Rybnik, contributes directly to the development of the region and the creation of new jobs. There are currently around 500 employees working on the site,and during peak periods of the whole project it will be up to 1,200 people’, said Dariusz Marzec, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna. ‘The gas turbine recently delivered to the site and installed is the “heart” of the PGE Nowy Rybnik Power Plant under construction. It is here that the most important process will take place - the conversion of gaseous fuel into mechanical energy which, by driving a generator, will generate electricity for 2 million consumers in Poland’, added Dariusz Marzec.
‘The PGE New Rybnik gas-fired power plant under construction is becoming one of the symbols of our city. After 50 years, a new technology is entering Rybnik that takes into account technological advances, environmental protection and the social needs of the people of Rybnik alike. This project is a great opportunity for our city, but also for the entire region’, said Piotr Kuczera, President of Rybnik.
The transport and installation of the gas turbine, which has been carried out in recent days, has been one of the most demanding logistical operations in the energy sector. The complicated process involved river and road transport, as well as transhipment operations and placement on a foundation.
The heart of the power station, a turbine weighing almost 390 tonnes, travelled more than 500 kilometres on its way to Rybnik. The first phase of transport took place by water to the port of Kędzierzyn-Koźle, where the unloading process was carried out using specialised cranes with a lifting capacity of several hundred tonnes. The next stage was land transport from Kędzierzyn-Koźle to Rybnik using a multi-axle transport platform, which also required the preparation of a precise logistics plan. In order for the turbine to reach its destination, it was necessary, among other things, to temporarily dismantle road signs, traffic lights, carry out a load-bearing capacity analysis of bridges and overpasses, and cooperate with the police and road services who were securing the route. Upon arrival at the power plant site, the process of placing the turbine on the prepared foundation with the use a special hydraulic jack system began.
‘Today, a gas turbine was placed on the foundation prepared by Polimex Mostostal, which, together with the generator, is one of the key elements of the construction of a new gas unit in Elektrownia Rybnik’, explained Jakub Stypuła, acting President of the Management Board of Polimex Mostostal S.A. ‘This completes another very important stage in the construction of the new power unit in Rybnik, which will enable us to fully continue the assembly work for the gas turbine engine room building. We have already completed almost 60 per cent of the project. In the near future, we will be carrying out further assembly of key technological supplies in the gas engine room building, the steam engine room building and the boiler room, as well as numerous construction and assembly works of all the facilities necessary for the construction that we are carrying out’, concluded Mr. Stypuła.
The construction of a new gas-fired power unit in Rybnik is an important investment for the city and its residents, which will allow the power generation potential of the Rybnik Power Plant to be restored.
‘Today, we have not only reached another important milestone in the construction of the gas and steam power unit in Rybnik, but also in the transformation of the energy sector in Poland’, said Grzegorz Należyty, President of the Management Board of Siemens Energy in Poland and Managing Director of the Eastern European Region. ‘This state-of-the-art power unit, with a capacity of around 880 MW and an efficiency close to 64%, demonstrates our commitment to building a safe and sustainable energy system in our country. It is worth noting that our investment has low CO2 emissions and negligible particulate matter emissions. This is an important step in caring for the environment and the residents of the region. In the face of increasing energy demand, our technology will contribute to the stability and flexibility of the Polish energy system, while enabling further development of installed renewable energy capacity’, added Grzegorz Należyty.
The gas and steam unit in Rybnik will be the largest and most efficient power unit of its type in Poland and one of the largest in Europe. In the future, it will be possible to co-fire hydrogen with gaseous fuel in the unit. The project will meet the most stringent emission limits resulting from the BAT conclusions for gas and steam units. The emission rate of the new unit is three times less than for 200 MW coal units and is equal to 320 g of CO2 per kWh of generated electricity. The emission of particulate matter and sulphur oxides will be reduced to almost zero, which will significantly contribute to the improvement of air quality in the Rybnik region.
The planned completion date for the project is late 2026 / early 2027. The PGE Nowy Rybnik power plant has a 17-year contract in the main power market auction, which will take effect in 2027.
The project is being carried out by a consortium of companies including Polimex Mostostal and Siemens Energy.
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