BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. Azerbaijan is constructing the country's largest power plant since independence, Trend says, citing Azerbaijan's Azerenergy electrical power producer.
Work on the largest power plant of the independence period, scheduled for completion in February 2023, is progressing quickly.
The construction of a new 1,280 megawatt power plant on the land of the Azerbaijan thermal power plant in Mingachevir is being carried out by specialist Azerbaijani local enterprises.
The station's construction is overseen by the Italian AFRY consulting firm and the Spanish IDOM design firm.
According to a representative of the AFRY consulting company, Salih Turan, the work is currently being carried out rapidly and is 2 months ahead of schedule.
"After the construction is completed, the installation of equipment will continue," he said.
Gas turbines and generators made by the Italian business Ansaldo Energia will be transported to Azerbaijan in the future. The foundation and concreting of four gas turbines, generators, and boilers has been finished. The construction of a gas compressor and other structures, including metal structures, is still ongoing.
Work is underway at a rapid pace to upgrade the circulation pumps of water cooling systems, including cooling pipelines, and to expand substations with a capacity of 500 and 330 kilovolts. Moreover, to increase overall efficiency, work is underway to modernize the steam turbines of the 7th and 8th power units of the Azerbaijan Thermal Power Plant in Mingachevir.
Major repairs and the integration of turbines, generators, and other equipment weighing more than 100 tons into the power plant under construction have been completed. Currently, work has begun on replacing the auxiliary equipment with a new one.
According to Teymur Abdullayev, Head of the Center for Public Relations and Media of Azerenergy OJSC, the overall capacity will be 1,880 megawatts following the connection of the new 1,280 megawatt power plant and the 7th and 8th power units of the Azerbaijan Thermal Power Plant.
"As a result, efficiency will rise from 18 percent to 56 percent." The spent gas from the new 1,280 megawatt power plant will be recycled and used to generate electricity in the steam turbines of the 7th and 8th blocks of the Azerbaijan Thermal Power Plant without the need for additional gas treatment. "Coordination will allow us to save 800 million cubic meters of gas per year," he said.
The construction of a new plant is especially important in terms of increasing generating capacity, meeting rising energy demand, expanding export opportunities, mitigating the negative consequences of integrating renewable energy sources into the energy system, saving natural gas in electricity production, and creating new jobs in the region.
