The second steam unit of Sabalan Combined Cycle Power Plant in Ardabil Province with a capacity of 160 megawatts was connected to the Iran’s national electricity network on Sunday, deputy for projects development at the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company said.
“Raising production to meet the growing power demand in the country, increasing the efficiency of the power plant by 50%, saving gas consumption by at least 799 million cubic meters per year and reducing environmental pollution are among the goals of setting up the steam units at the power station,” Mohammad Ramezani was also quoted as saying by the Energy Ministry news portal.
The second steam unit became operational at an estimated cost of $140 million and based on the program, the third steam unit will be put into operation before next summer when consumption rises, he added.
“Sabalan Power Plant has already six gas units and two steam units. With the completion of the third steam section, its total capacity will reach 1,440 MW,” he noted.
The plant is located on an area of 70 hectares, 35 km from Ardabil City on the road to Meshkin-Shahr and Germi.
Also referring to the third steam unit of the Urmia Power Plant in West Azarbaijan Province, Ramezani said it would be synchronized with the power grid soon.
With a capacity of 160 MW, the steam unit will help boost the station’s efficiency by 20%. Equipped with an E-class turbine designed and installed by MAPNA, the engineering and energy giant, the steam unit is uses air-cooled condensers that do not require a large volume of cooling water.
It is expected to reduce natural gas consumption in the facility by about 500 million cubic meters per year.
Built in 2009, Urmia Power Plant already has six gas units and two steam units with a total production capacity of 1,434 MW and an efficiency of 49%.
“Since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 2022), three new thermal power plant units have been connected to the country's electricity network, helping increase the capacity of the country's thermal power plants to 73,500 MW,” Ramezani stated.
Benefits of Steam Units
The construction of steam units near gas turbines and the conversion of conventional power stations into combined-cycle power will increase efficiency to nearly 50%.
A combined-cycle power plant is more eco-friendly than conventional power stations, as they emit less greenhouse gases.
Energy from a thermal plant not used for power production is released into the environment in the form of heat.
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 power.
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 90 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.
