Project Digest: North Bangkok CCPP , Block 2

The capacity expansion of Thailands North Bangkok lies at the heart of EGATs development plans Credit: Italian-Thai Development Co. Ltd

Thailand to showcase latest upgrade of Alstoms GT26 in combined-cycle

The North Bangkok Combined-Cycle Power Plant block 2 forms a crucial part of EGATs current power development plan, which spans the period from 2010 to 2030. North Bangkok 2 is also unique in that it features the latest upgrade of Alstoms GT26 heavy-duty gas turbine.
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Project Digest: North Bangkok CCPP , Block 2

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gas turbine, the GT26. earlier consortium. The Engineering

hen the second block of the North Bangkok power plant in Thailand enters service in 2016 it will be the first Combined-Cycle

fiercely competitive market, price has become one of the most important considerations.

To cope with increasing demand for power, EGAT has plans to build four new fossil fuel-fired power plants that will enter service between 2014 and 2019. These include two CCPPs that will provisionally start operating in 2014, with the North Bangkok project entering service in 2016, and a clean coal project that is scheduled for completion at Krabi in 2019. Except for Krabi and a 600 MW lignite-fired plant at Mae Moh due to enter service by 2017, all the new plants will burn natural gas. The utility is also expecting to expand its portfolio of renewable power generation with an addition 700 MW of new capacity, much of based on small hydro.

Snapshot of Thai power sector

The supply of electricity in Thailand is dominated by EGAT, a government-owned utility that controls the largest amount of generating capacity in the country. EGATs overall capacity in 2012 topped 15,000 MW. This was made up of 4699 MW of thermal capacity (primarily lignite-fired), 6866 MW based on natural gas-fired CCPPs, 3436 MW of hydropower capacity, 4 MW of diesel capacity and only 5 MW of renewable power generating units the large hydropower plants that the company owns are not classified as renewables. In addition to the capacity owned by EGAT, supply in Thailand is supplemented by ten large independent power producers and a number of small power producers, which between them provided 17,591 MW of generating capacity in 2012. Power is also imported from a series of hydropower stations in neighbouring Laos, as well as from a 300 MW interconnector between the Thailand grid and that of Malaysia. Growth in electricity demand in Thailand is expected to increase over the coming years. EGATs current power development plan (201030), had to be revised in 2012 to take account of the accelerating demand growth. Economic growth in 2012 was around 5.5 per cent and a similar level of growth is expected in 2013 as the country emerges from the effects of both the global economic recession and the great flood of 2011, which had a major economic impact across thecountry.

Power Plant (CCPP) that Alstom has built for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), and the first CCPP in the world to use the latest upgrade of the F-class heavy-duty Alstom won the contract to build the plant in a consortium with Sumitomo Corporation of Japan. The latter already has a strong involvement with EGAT, having supplied block 1 at the North Bangkok site as part of an Procurement and

Development of North Bangkok site

The North Bangkok site for the new power plant has housed a power plant for many years. The earliest power plant at the site, with a generating capacity of 238 MW, was retired in 2001. Its replacement, the North Bangkok power plant block 1, was proposed for construction in the 2004 Power Development Plan and the contract for it was placed in 2007. The station entered service in 2010. This plant comprises two 221 MW gas turbines and one 262 MW steam turbine in a combined-cycle configuration and has a generating capacity of 704 MW. It burns natural gas supplied by PTT Public Company Limited. When the first block was constructed at the site, adjacent to the EGAT headquarters on the banks of the Chao Phraya river, the environmental impact assessment for the site included the possibility of an expansion to the project.This expansion is now proceeding

Construction (EPC) contract for block 2 was signed in February 2013. The contract was awarded after a competitive international tendering process, which was launched in February 2012 involving four bidders. The scope of the project comprises two single-shaft combined-cycle units with a combined generating capacity of 850 MW.The site of the power plant is adjacent to EGATs headquarters in the Thai capital, making this a prestigious project for the companies building it, as Alstom project director, Madhu Soothanan Velayutham, stresses. This is not Alstoms first contract in Thailand. In 1992, Alstom recorded the first combinedcycle project in Thailand with the 300 MW Rayong CCPP . To date, Alstom has built over 7 GW of installed capacity in Thailand, including several gas-fired power plants the 730 MW Bowin, the 350 MW Bang Bo and the 1250 MW Kaeng Khoi 2. However, securing a contract with EGAT is considered an important step in strengthening its presence here. North Bangkok CCPP block 2 will form a crucial part of EGATs current power development plan that spans the period from 2010 to 2030. By the end of this period, the installed generating capacity in Thailand is expected to reach 55,000 MW, versus 32,880 MW available as of April 2013. The total cost of the second block of the North Bangkok CCPP has been put at 15.9 billion Thai Baht (approximately 374 million). It is an illustration of the competitive nature of the global power plant industry that the first block at the site, with a gross generating capacity of 700 MW, was priced at a significantly higher unit price. In a

plans o. Ltd

Alstoms latest upgrade of the GT26 offers both high efficiency and fuel flexibility Credit: Alstom

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Project Digest: North Bangkok CCPP , Block 2

Under the terms of the contract, Alstom will supply the gas and steam turbines, the generators, the heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) and condenser, while Sumitomo will provide the balance of plant. Alstom also has a 12-year service agreement for the power plant under a separate contract. Alstom will supply the gas turbines for the plant from its manufacturing facilities in Switzerland and Germany. The steam turbines and generators will be manufactured in Switzerland and Poland. However the two heat HRSGs are being manufactured at Alstoms subsidiary in Surabaya, Indonesia. This boiler manufacturing facility in East Java was established in 1996. The condenser will come from Indonesia too.

Plant design
The North Bangkok CCPPs block 2 will comprise
The upgraded GT26 gas turbines will be manufactured at Alstoms factories in Europe. Credit: Alstom

of

two

single-shaft

combined-

cycle units, a different configuration to that employed in block 1 at the site, where the exhaust heat from two gas turbines is used to raise steam for a single steam turbine.

in the shape of the North Bangkok CCPP block 2. Located close to residential areas at the Nonthaburi Provice in the northern part of Thailands capital, Bangkok, specific environmental requirements were stipulated. These included cooling tower with plume abatement system, exterior cladding to integrate the power plant to the environment and stringent requirements for noise. The proposal to build the plant was put forward by EGAT to the government as a matter of urgency as it became clear that power demand was rising faster than had originally been anticipated when the power development plant 2010-30 was first published. In addition to this, delays in independent power producer projects and new schemes being developed by small power producers meant that the power reserve in the country was expected to be 9.7 per cent below the standard level by 2014. The North Bangkok CCPP block 2 will help alleviate this situation. It was approved by the government in November 2010 and put out to international tender in February 2012. As already noted, the contract was awarded to the consortium comprising Alstom and Sumitomo early in 2013. The original startup date in the 2012 revision of the power development plan was late 2015. However

with contract signing in February 2013 and a 36-month construction schedule, start-up is now expected early in 2016.

The single-shaft configuration allows the gas turbine and the steam turbine to share a shaft with the generator, providing a compact and tightly integrated unit. Alstom refers to its GT26 in a combined-cycle configuration as KA26. Each generator will be a hydrogen-cooled

With 850 MW generating capacity, located in the heart of the Thai capital, this is a prestigious project
Consortium structure and scope of contract
The structure of the consortium between Alstom and Sumitomo makes the former the technical leader, while Sumitomo is the commercial leader. This means that Alstom will be responsible for engineering, design, supply and delivery of the complete power island, as well as the commissioning of block 2. Sumitomo will, provide engineering, supply and delivery of the balance of plant, and be responsible as lead contractor for the civil works at the site. The Japanese company also takes the lead role as principle contractor responsible for construction of the entire new CCPP .

unit and the gas turbine for each unit will be the latest upgrade of Alstoms 50 Hz F-class GT26. Each shaft will also have its own HRSG so that each can operate independently if necessary. The HRSG is a horizontal flow, triple-pressure design with reheat. The steam turbines are Alstom model STF15C units. The GT26 units will be equipped with sequential combustion, featuring Alstoms unique Dry-Low-NOx EV-/SEV-Combustion System, which allow low emission levels over the widest operational range. There will be a 230 kV gas insulated switchgear from which power from the new block will travel underground for a distance of 500 metres to the North Bangkok substation.

Fuel supply
The new North Bangkok plant is designed to operate on natural gas. Natural gas is the primary source of power generation in Thailand, accounting for 67 per cent of total plant output. Thailand has significant natural gas reserves, mainly located offshore in the

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Project Digest: North Bangkok CCPP , Block 2

Gulf of Thailand. Production has increased steadily enough over to recent cope years though not with rising demand.

Thailand boasts the largest fleet of GT26 power plants in Asia, with seven commercially operational units, including Bang Bo CCPP Credit: Alstom

Consequently, the country has had to seek gas from other sources too. These include imports by pipeline from Myanmar and a recently constructed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to import LNG from across the world. Sources have included Qatar, Russia, Peru and Nigeria, purchased on both a contract and spot basis. With natural gas coming from a variety of sources, the quality and composition of gas supplied to consumers is bound to vary. This is a factor which gas turbine manufacturers have to take into account when designing new machinery. Alstoms GT26 turbine is a pioneer of fuel flexibility allowing the highest fluctuation in natural gas compositions in the industry..

Features of upgraded GT26

The GT24/GT26 gas turbine gives power providers unmatched operational versatility, with the unique ability to switch on line between two operational modes Power Optimisation for higher performance or Maintenance Cost Optimisation for up to 30 per cent more operation time between scheduled inspections. Alstoms GT26 gas turbine is the latest in a line of gas turbines based on a two-stage sequential combustion system, essentially similar to the reheat design used in steam turbines. In this case, however, the gases undergo a second stage of combustion part way through the turbine. For over 50 years Alstom has been developing and perfecting alternative design features, and was the first to introduce sequential combustiontechnology. The GT26 and its 60 Hz companion, the GT24, were originally introduced in the mid 1990s. Since then performance has gradually been improved so that net efficiency in combined-cycle configuration (when it is referred to as KA26) reached 57 per cent in 1999 and 58.7 per cent in 2006. The latest version is expected to be capable of close to 60 per cent net efficiency. Over the same period the net power output of the KA26 configuration has increased from 378 MW in 1999 to 431 MW by 2006. At North Bangkok, the nominal output of the single shaft combined-cycle configuration is 425MW. Efficiency remains a major design goal for modern heavy-duty gas turbines in combined-cycle configuration but other factors have become important too as the market has changed. One of these is the need to be able to operate efficiently not only at base load, but also at part load. The second is the capability of he plant to follow the load demand, even for very low loads, while staying emission compliant. The KA26 has been designed so that it can stay on line at a load as low as 20 per cent from which it can ramp up to 350 MW in 15 minutes. As for fuel, the combustion system used in the GT26 has been adapted so that it can respond to changes in fuel composition rapidly. A gas composition monitoring sensor is to be placed in the gas pipeline close to the plant from where it can signal any change in quality before the fuel reaches the turbine combustors. Combustion conditions are then adapted to maintain stable combustion with the different fuel composition. At North Bangkok, the new combinedcycle units are initially intended to provide baseload power with a duty cycle similar to that of block 1 at the plant. However as Thailand introduces increased amounts of renewable power generation it is possible that units such as those being installed for block 2 may one day be required to play more of a grid support role.

Project schedule
The issuing of a letter of intent for the North Bangkok project took place on 15 January 2013 with the signing of the contract between EGAT and the consortium taking place on 4 February 2013. Civil work has now started at the construction site adjacent to the existing power plant. Delivery of the main power island components from the manufacturers is expected in mid 2014. The two single-shaft combined-cycle units will be delivered on separate dates; each delivered by ship. The first set of gas turbine, steam turbine and generator are expected on site in May 2014. These will be followed by the components of the second shaft in July 2014. The HRSGs will be delivered in parts for erection at the site. The first group of components are due to arrive in February 2014 and the second in April 2014. Commissioning of the combinedcycle units start in October 2014 and will be completed in January 2016. North Bangkok CCPP block 2 is unlikely to be the last CCPP that EGAT builds. Generating capacity is expected to expand by more than 20,000 MW between 2013 and 2030. While the government hopes some of this will be provided by new renewable energy sources, natural gas-fired plants are set toremain a mainstay of the supply system for the foreseeable future.

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