Russian power plant upgrade featuring GE technology to help meet growing energy needs of St. Petersburg’s industrial district

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA: GE’s advanced gas turbine technology has been selected for a power plant upgrade that will help meet the energy needs of a rapidly growing industrial district in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia’s northwest region.

The project is part of the Russian government’s development plan for St. Petersburg and also supports the country’s overall strategy to expand and continue to modernize its energy infrastructure.

An aging power plant in St. Petersburg’s Kolpino district, which encompasses more than 30 large industrial and manufacturing companies, has been unable to meet the area’s constantly growing demand for power.

GSR Energo, a local electricity and heat supplier, is building a new combined-cycle power plant in two phases, with each phase to add 110 megawatts of power and 89 megawatts of heating capacity. In a combined-cycle power plant, waste heat from a gas turbine is captured and used to drive a steam turbine-generator to produce additional energy.

GE will supply a Frame 6FA gas turbine and associated generator for the Kolpino project. The unit is expected to be shipped by the end of 2011, with commercial operation scheduled to start during 2013. The mid-sized member of GE’s F technology fleet of gas turbines, the 6FA is well-suited for combined-cycle, industrial and cogeneration applications. More than 100 units are installed globally and have completed 3 million hours of service, making the 6FA one of the most experienced gas turbines in its class.

“Based on its position as a leader in power generation technology, we believe GE is the right partner to help us supply reliable power for the people and the businesses of Kolpino. GE’s 6FA gas turbine has a proven record of reliability and performance, making it a good match for our project requirements,” said Viktor Kotov, CEO of GSR Energo.

Kolpino continues a series of recent GE projects that support the growth of Russia’s energy infrastructure. Over the past several months, GE has announced a power plant project in Berezniki, an industrial city in Russia’s Urals Federal District; a framework agreement with one of Russia’s largest electric power companies to manufacture energy-efficient, heavy duty gas turbines in Russia; and the grand opening of the GE Energy Technology Center in Russia’s Kuluga region, which will manufacture and service advanced power generation equipment.

“Like all rapidly growing industrial economies, it is crucial for Russia to provide its industrial and commercial customers with a reliable and cost-effective electricity supply. To support this effort and to promote projects like the Kolpino power plant, the Russian government has launched initiatives for energy infrastructure investment and energy efficiency,” said Ruslan Pakhomov, GE Energy executive director, Russia.

“We have been working closely with GSR Energo for more than two years, as they developed this project. We believe that with one of the energy industry’s broadest technology portfolios, and our continued development of in-country capabilities, we are well positioned to provide the necessary technology and service solutions to our customers in Russia and the region,” added Pakhomov.