Ostroleka C is a 745MW combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) being developed in the Mazowsze Province in Ostroleka, Poland.
The plant is being developed by Energa, an electricity generation and distribution company based in Poland and subsidiary of PKN Orlen Group. Energa established the CCGT Ostroleka special purpose company in January 2021 to oversee the construction and development of the project.
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The estimated investment in the project is zl2.5bn ($642.12m). The project’s construction started in March 2022, and operations are expected to commence in 2025.
The project is in line with the decarbonisation goals of both Poland and the ORLEN Group as well as the aim to avoid a power deficit in the National Energy System after 2025.
ORLEN envisions reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 33% per megawatt hour by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. The project is designed with a provision for the construction of a carbon capture station in the future.
Location and development details
The project is located in Mazowieckie Voivodeship, in the north-east area of Ostroleka city. It will cover an area of approximately 27ha.
The initial plan, which was to develop a 1GW coal-fired power plant, was later revised to a gas-fired power plant due to the new European climate policy announced in 2019 and the resulting higher costs associated with developing a coal-fired power plant.
The power capacity contract signed for the coal project in 2018 was terminated without any contractual penalties to Elektrownia Ostrołęka, a special purpose vehicle focused on developing the coal-fired power plant.
PKN Orlen, Energa and Enea signed an agreement to construct a gas-fired power plant instead of a coal-fired power plant in June 2020. The brownfield development uses the existing infrastructure as well as the site previously allocated for the coal-fired unit construction.
Ostroleka C combined-cycle power plant make-up
The Ostroleka C CCPP will include a single unit shaft comprising a General Electric (GE) 9HA.02 gas turbine, STF-D650 steam turbine, W88 class generator, heat recovery steam generator and wet fan cooling tower. It will also feature GE’s Mark VIe distributed control system (DCS).
The 9HA.02 gas turbine has the capacity to generate up to 838MW of power with 64.1% net efficiency.
The STF-D650 steam turbine can produce between 200MW and 700MW at 48% efficiency and can be applied in 50Hz/60Hz grids.
The gas turbine will be built in Belfort city, France, while the steam turbine and generator will be manufactured in Poland.
A 3km-long, 400kV overhead line will carry the power to the PSE Ostroleka substation.
Gas and electricity supply
The CCPP will be powered by high methane natural gas supplied from the Klaipeda liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal, which is located in Lithuania.
A 28km gas pipeline will be constructed to supply the gas fuel for the project. It will run through the Mazowieckie and Podlaskie provinces. The pipeline will be connected to the existing bi-directional Poland-Lithuania interconnector (GIPL).
The power plant will also have the option to use other fuels, such as hydrogen or biomethane, in the future.
Financing
PKN Orlen and Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG) signed an investment agreement in December 2020 to cooperate on the construction of the 1GW coal-fired power plant and formed Elektrownia Ostrołęka for this purpose.
CCGT Ostrołęka was formed in January 2021 as a joint venture between PKN Orlen, Energa and PGNiG. PKN Orlen is committed to providing zl1.55bn ($414m) for the project, in case PGNiG discontinues its part in the project.
Contractors involved
GE Gas Power, a subsidiary of General Electric, was awarded the contract for the supply of a gas turbine, steam turbine, generator, heat recovery steam generator and distributed control system for the project in July 2022. The contract also includes an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the construction of the power plant.
In collaboration with GE Steam Power Systems (formerly Alstom Power Systems), GE Power was earlier awarded a turnkey contract for the coal-fired project in July 2018. The contract was revised in June 2021 after the project was changed from coal to gas-fired.
Mostostal Warszawa, a construction engineering company, was subcontracted by GE for the construction of the main building of the power plant, along with ancillary facilities, networks and roads.
Polimex-Mostostal, a construction engineering company, was subcontracted by GE to supply and assemble steel structures for the coal-fired project.
The placement of the EPC contract to GE was advised by law firm DWF Group.
The contract for the construction of the gas pipeline was signed with Romgos Gwiazdowscy, a gas company based in Poland, in August 2022.
