The Syrdarya 2 combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power project, with a capacity of 1.5GW, is currently under development in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan.
Construction of the project began in December 2023. The plant is anticipated to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2026. It is estimated to cost $950m and generate 12 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
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To be owned and operated by Enersok. the project is a part of an ongoing modernisation of the power generation sector in Uzbekistan, to enhance efficiency and mitigate environmental impact.
Enersok is jointly owned by French electric utility EDF (Électricité de France), Qatari power company Nebras Power, Japanese trading company Sojitz and Japanese energy firm Kyuden International.
The modernisation is expected to result in a system-wide carbon offset of 2.61 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2 through the decommissioning of inefficient units at the existing Syrdarya thermal power plant, saving 1.53Mt of CO2 and an additional 1.07Mt from the new plant.
Location
The Syrdarya 2 project is located in the Boyovut district, about 2km northeast of Shirin city, in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan and 150km south of Tashkent, the nation’s capital.
The project site lies adjacent to the Syrdarya 1 power plant and 1.5km north of the existing Syrdarya gas-fired thermal power plant.
Syrdarya 2 power plant details
The Syrdarya 2 CCGT power plant will feature a power block and stacks, two Mitsubishi M701JAC gas turbines, two heat recovery steam generators and one steam turbine. It will also contain a closed-loop cooling water system, with mechanical draft air cooling tower blocks and a gas receiving terminal.
The new plant will share the existing 500/220kV switchgear station of the adjacent 1.5GW Syrdarya 1 power plant.
The two gas turbines and the steam turbine will collectively provide the much-needed power for the region, contributing to the nation’s energy security and sustainable development, with an output of 1,600MWe of electricity.
A 1km gas pipeline connection will be established to an existing gas supply system owned by the National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan and operated by the gas supplier, JSC Uztransgaz.
Turbine details
The two gas turbines will be the latest model in the air-cooled J-Series.
The Mitsubishi M701JAC gas turbine unit is based on a design concept of the early 1970s. Its features include a compressor shaft that mitigates the effects of thermal expansion on alignment and a simple rotor design supported by two bearings on a single shaft.
The rotor’s structure consists of bolt-connected discs with torque pins in the compressor and CURVIC couplings in the turbine section for reliable torque transmission. It also has an axial flow exhaust design and the casings are horizontally split to facilitate blade maintenance without the need to remove the rotor.
The compressor utilises three-dimensional design techniques to enhance performance by reducing shockwave loss in the initial stages and frictional loss in the intermediate and final stages.
Financing
The provision of a senior loan of up to $200m for the project was approved by the European Bank in February 2021. A loan agreement amounting to $393m was also approved by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation in March 2023. Additionally, a $70m loan was approved by the International Finance Corporation in March of the same year.
Power purchase agreement
The electricity generated by the station will be sold to the Uzbek state energy company, National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan, for 25 years under an electricity purchase and sale agreement signed in 2022.
Contractors involved
Doosan Enerbility received the notice to proceed from the Chinese engineering, procurement and construction contractor Harbin Electric International for the equipment supply agreement of the Syrdarya 2 power plant, valued at Won60bn ($45.9m) in March 2023. Doosan Enerbility will supply the 500MW steam turbines and generators for the power plant.
Harbin Electric International, an electrical and electronic manufacturing company, together with its key subcontractors China Nuclear Industry 22nd Construction, CHCI and the Tokyo Electric Power Company, completed critical pre-mobilisation tasks for the project under Enersok’s management.
The activities include survey works, relocation of irrigation ditches, and existing overhead transmission lines to accommodate the new infrastructure within the project boundaries.
Mitsubishi Power, a power solution brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, received the order for two M701JAC gas turbines for the project in July 2023.
