Alexandroupolis combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant is a gas fired power project being developed in the industrial area of Alexandroupolis in Greece.
Initially, the plant was licenced for a capacity of 662MW. In June 2021, Greece’s Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) approved the plan to increase the capacity of the facility to 840MW.
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Construction of the €400m project started in February 2023. It is scheduled to be completed in 32 months.
The power plant is expected to commence production by the end of 2025, with an annual power production of 5 Terawatt-hours (TWh).
The project will be financed, developed, owned and operated by Alexandroupolis Electricity Production. The company is owned by Greek electric power company Public Power Corporation (PPC) (51%), natural gas supply company DEPA (29%) and Copelouzos Group- subsidiary Damco Energy (20%).
Alexandroupolis CCGT Power Plant details
The new combined cycle power plant will feature one gas turbine, one steam turbine and one generator with a single shaft configuration. The plant will primarily use natural gas as fuel, as well as other varieties such as blends of hydrogen.
The power plant will be connected with a pipeline to the natural gas distribution network, at the Measuring and Pressure Reducing station in the area of Amphitrite (M/R).
According to the primary studies, the length of the pipeline will be approximately 4.68km. It will have a diameter of 14inches with a design pressure of 90 bar.
The plant will receive gas supplies from Gastrade’s floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), which is currently under construction offshore Alexandroupolis.
The FSRU will be located 17.6km from the town of Alexandroupolis. It will have an LNG storage capacity of 170,000 cubic metres and able to deliver up to 5.5 billion cubic metres of gas per year.
A 28km long pipeline will connect Gastrade’s FSRU with the National Natural Gas System of Greece.
Power Evacuation
The gas-fired power plant will be interconnected with the National Electricity Transmission System via a direct line to the Nea Sanda High Voltage Centre, the terminal point of the new 400kV interconnection line with Bulgaria.
The power generated is planned to be supplied to the domestic market and nearby Balkan states such as Bulgaria and North Macedonia and to Serbia using an extension.
The 840MW Alexandroupolis CCGT plant will have a net capacity of three lignite plants that are being decommissioned. The development of the plant will be thus important for the country’s energy security.
Additionally, the development of the power plant is aligned will help in meeting the European Green Deal targets and facilitate the transition to low-emission energy production.
Offtake agreement
In March 2021, Damco Energy and Gastrade signed agreements with North Macedonia’s National Energy Resources (NER) and power utility AD Elektrani na Severna Makedonija (AD ESM).
AD ESM agreed to acquire a 25% share capital of Alexandroupolis Electricity Production, the special-purpose vehicle (SPV) responsible for the construction and operation of the power Alexandroupolis power plant.
AD ESM will also sign long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for a certain amount of electricity generated by the plant that will be proportionate to its share of participation in the SPV.
Contractors involved
Alexandroupolis Electricity Production had nominated Damco Energy as the Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor of the Alexandroupolis power plant project.
In October 2021, Copelouzos Group, Damco Energy and General Electric (GE) signed contracts for the supply and the long-term maintenance of the main equipment for the plant.
In March 2023, GE won an order to provide power generation equipment for the 840MW project. Additionally, GE will offer a full spectrum of power plant services for 14 years.
Key Equipment
The Alexandroupolis power plant’s engineered equipment package will include a GE 9HA.02 gas turbine, an STF-D650 steam turbine, a W88 generator, and a triple pressure with reheat Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG).
The supplies will also include Mark VIe Distributed Control System (DCS) software solution.
According to the company, GE’s 9HA.02 gas turbine is flexible and can operate on a variety of fuels such as blends of hydrogen and natural gas.
The HA gas turbine had been selected by 55 GE customers worldwide, and it will be the second of its kind in Greece.
