OREANDA-NEWS. On November 28, 2007 TGC-4 held a ceremony was held to commission a gas turbine power plant (a gas-turbine CHPP) at the site of the Belgorodskaya CHPP, reported the press-centre of RAO "UES of Russia".

The ceremony was attended by Yevgeny Savchenko, Belgorod Region Governor; Alexander Chikunov, member of the Management Board and Managing Director of Business Unit No. 1, RAO "UES of Russia"; and Gennady Kochetkov, Director General, OAO "TGC-4".

The new GTU at the Belgorodskaya CHPP was built according to the Investment Programme of OAO "TGC-4". The project is provided by the Agreement on Cooperation in Energy Sector Reform and Development in the Belgorod Region signed by Chairman of the Management Board of RAO "UES of Russia" Anatoly Chubais and Belgorod Region Governor Yevgeny Savchenko on 7 August 2003.

The power unit will have most modern equipment. Two LM 2500+DLE НSPT gas turbine units of 33 MW each manufactured by GE have been installed at the new CHPP, which will increase the plant's capacity to 91.6 MW of electricity and 445 Gcal/h of heat. The new equipment is much more efficient. The specific fuel consumption is not more than 240 g/kWh for electricity and 120 kg/Gcal for heat supplied (before the modernization the respective figures were 328 g/kWh for electricity and 141 kg/Gcal for heat).

The GTU construction at the Belgorodskaya CHPP will improve the reliability of electricity and heat supply to Belgorod's consumers. The power plant will operate all year round, supplying hot water to users in the central and northern parts of Belgorod in summer and covering part of the district heating demand in winter. The CHPP will generate 413 million kWh of electricity annually, which is enough to supply electricity to 170,000 apartments in Belgorod.

The Belgorodskaya CHPP is located within the city boundaries, which is why its equipment and quality of construction work are to meet the most stringent requirements. The plant is designed to comply with all Russian and international environmental standards for air, water, and noise pollution in the residential areas. The GE-manufactured DLE combustors used at the GTU-CHPP will help minimize hazardous emissions into the atmosphere.

The cost of the project was RUB2,07 billion. The project was financed primarily with bank loans. Over twelve subcontractors were involved in the project.

Besides modernization of the Belgorodskaya CHPP, TGC-4's five-year investment programme includes eleven investment projects to bring on line 1,300 MW of capacity. Over RUB43 billion in funds will be spent on the implementation of the company's investment programme.