OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2016.  Today GE (NYSE: GE) and RheinEnergie celebrated the inauguration of the newly constructed K?ln-Niehl combined-cycle heat and power (CHP) plant in Cologne, Germany. Capable of producing 453 MW of electrical power and about 265 MW of cogeneration heating capacity, this CHP plant generates power equivalent to what would be needed to supply about one million German households and heat about 50,000 households.

“GE is thrilled to hand over this highly-efficient combined heat and power plant that will help support Germany?s energy transition,” said Alf-Henryk Wulf, CEO GE Power AG, Germany.  “We were also very pleased to utilize our unique modular design capabilities to navigate the complex construction site for this innovative new facility and bring it online, on time.

GE applied its AdvantEDGE power island design - which utilizes a portfolio of proven, pre-engineered, prefabricated and commissioned plant modules - to execute this full turnkey project with speed, quality, and reduced risk. The modular design capabilities enabled to GE to construct the new facility between existing buildings, tanks and a cooling tower—and adjacent to an existing plant in operation.

RheinEnergie commissioned GE to construct the plant at the end of 2012. One of the first tasks was to create a digital model of the plant during the permitting phase. This helped the team define the construction sequence and which modules were needed at specific times, and ensure power island modules were designed to fit.

“Thanks to the outstanding cooperation onsite, we are pleased with the completion of the K?ln-Niehl plant, which helps us reach a milestone on our way to the future of energy,” said Dr. Dieter Steinkamp, CEO RheinEnergie, at the ceremonial inauguration in Cologne. “The highly flexible combined-cycle heat and power plant Niehl 3 serves as the backbone for renewable energies and provides more climate-friendly district heating for Cologne.”

By utilizing the exhaust energy from the gas turbine, CHP systems can exceed 80 percent efficiency, making CHP one of the most energy-efficient methods of power generation - all with no additional fuel consumption.