The gas unit of Hengam Power Plant in Bandar Abbas, southern Hormozgan Province, the first of its kind in the country to have an indigenized F-class gas turbine, has started operation, director of combined-cycle projects at the Thermal Power Plants Holding Company said.
“With a capacity of 307 megawatts, this is the first of two gas units of the plant built by Iranian engineers,” the Energy Ministry news portal Paven quoted Alireza Nasrollahi as saying.
“Another 307 MW F-class gas turbine is under construction along with a 292 MW steam unit. When fully operational, the power station will have generation capacity of 906 MW,” he added, noting that the project is estimated to cost $612 million.
Construction of F-class gas turbines in combined-cycle power plants is on the TPPHC agenda to improve efficiency and reduce electricity waste, Nasrollahi said.
TPPHC has signed a contract with the energy and infrastructure conglomerate Mapna for the construction of 5,000 MW of thermal power plants by 2024 using F-class gas turbines made inside the country.
Hengam Power Plant is the first one among eight projects that is in service. On completion, the plant will supply electricity to 150,000 homes in the southern province off the Persian Gulf.
Thermal power plants in Hormozgan Province have an installed capacity of over 3,000 MW and are to increase it to 7,000 MW by 2024.
F-class gas turbines are defined by high performance, low power generation costs, long intervals between inspections, and a service-friendly design. Optimized flow and cooling add up to high efficiency and economically viable power generation in combined cycle applications.
Hengam Power Plant will has an efficiency rate of 59%, which is the highest for a plant with F-class turbines. Average efficiency of domestic power plants is around 37%. Thermal power stations account for 80% of total power generation of around 84,500 MW in Iran and enhancing their efficiency is crucial.
Effective steps have been taken to convert conventional plants into combined-cycle units to improve efficiency and reduce pollution and costs.
