Two new steam units of Sabalan Combined Cycle Power Plant in Ardabil Province with a total capacity of 320 megawatts will be connected to the national electricity grid during the first half of the next Iranian year (starting March 21), the deputy energy minister said.
“With six gas units and one steam unit, the power station has a generation capacity of 1,120 MW. The first steam unit of the plant became operational last February. Upon the launch of the other two steam units, the capacity of the plant will reach 1,440 MW,” Homayoun Haeri was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry’s news portal Paven.
“The project has progressed by 81% so far. When all the three steam units become operational, they will help save the consumption of about 750 million cubic meters of natural gas annually,” he added.
According to Haeri, the construction of two more steam units has been planned to meet rising consumption. It will also help increase the efficiency of power plant to 50% and reduce environmental pollution.
A combined-cycle power plant uses both gas and steam turbines to produce up to 50% more electricity from the same fuel than a traditional simple-cycle plant. Waste heat from the gas turbine is routed to the nearby steam turbine to generate electricity.
Energy efficiency of a conventional thermal power station, considered salable energy produced as a percent of the heating value of the fuel consumed, is typically 33-48%. Considering all the heat produced by gas and steam turbines, their efficiency is limited and governed by the laws of thermodynamics.
Average efficiency of domestic power plants is around 37%. Thermal power stations in Iran account for 80% of total power generation of around 85 gigawatts and improving efficiency is crucial.
Effective steps have been taken to convert conventional plants into combined-cycle units to improve efficiency and reduce pollution and costs.
Sabalan Power Plant is located on an area of 70 hectares, 35 km from Ardabil City on the road to Meshkin-Shahr and Germi.
