Alstom Supplies Transformer For Combined-Cycle Heat And Power Plant In Cologne

Alstom has been awarded a contract for the supply of a generator transformer for the combined-cycle heat and power plant (CHP) in Niehl, Cologne (Germany), operated by the German energy provider RheinEnergie AG. The transformer has a power output of 560 MVA, 410/21 kV, and will transmit the energy generated by the power plant into the Cologne power grid. The transformer is manufactured in the Alstom plant in Mönchengladbach, and is planned for delivery in mid-2015.

RheinEnergie operates several power plants and supplies 2.2 TWh of heat and steam to domestic and industrial customers. In December 2012, RheinEnergie awarded Alstom the turnkey construction of the combined-cycle heat and power plant in Cologne, and a 15-year maintenance contract for the plant. The new, highly efficient plant ensures security of power supply, and guarantees a high degree of flexibility for the operator. The plant is intended to generate 453 MW of electricity and approximately 265 MW of heat by means of a combined heat and power system; this can supply up to one million households with power and approximately 50,000 households with district heating.

The generator transformer features a compact design thanks to four oil-air coolers functioning as an ODAF (oil directed, air forced) cooling system. This sees the size and oil weight adapted to both the special requirements in the power plant for a compact machine and the current regulatory demands specifying a maximum oil quantity of 100 tonnes.

“The new construction project in Niehl, Cologne, clearly illustrates the range of Alstom’s service portfolio for energy generation and transmission. Alstom has the advantage of being able to provide customers with a complete range of services, in both manufacturing of a new combined cycle plant, and providing the necessary equipment for electricity transmission,” says Heiko Schneider, Project Manager of Alstom Grid in Mönchengladbach.