The Irsching 6 is a 300MW natural gas-fired power project under construction in the Bavaria state in southern Germany.
Owned by leading European electricity transmission system operator TenneT, the peaking power plant is being developed by Uniper Energy, which will also be responsible for its operation.
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The construction works are well underway with the gas turbine equipment delivered at the plant site in May 2021.
Scheduled for commissioning by October 2022, the Irsching 6 power plant will be operated as a reserve plant to supply electricity during peak loads in the grid.
Location and site details
The Irsching 6 gas-fired power project is being developed on a 110m-long and 100m-wide surface area in the eastern part of the existing Irsching power complex, which is located approximately 15km east of the Ingolstadt city, in the Pfaffenhofen district, Bavaria, Germany.
Irsching 6 power plant make-up
The Irsching 6 power block will be equipped with an AE94.3A gas turbine, a 380kV generator, and auxiliary systems from Ansaldo Energia. The gas turbine is designed to deliver a maximum electrical output of 320MW and a thermal output of 800MW.
The other components for the project include a transformer, switchgear panel, underground cables, a 65m-high and 10m-diameter chimney, a cooling tower, apart from the cooling water pump house, a compressed air system, and deionised water pumps.
The project also involves a gas supply system with two gas-fired preheaters, filters and associated control system, a sewage water system, an emergency generator with a heating oil tank, and a 500m3 demineralised water tank,
Power evacuation
The electricity generated from the Irsching 6 gas-fired open cycle power plant will be evacuated through a 380kV power transmission line connecting a substation in the TenneT high voltage network.
Contractors involved
Uniper Energy contracted to develop and operate the Irsching 6 power project in January 2019.
Ansaldo Energia was awarded a turnkey engineering, construction, and procurement (EPC) contract involving the design, supply, installation of the gas turbine and generator in August 2019.
Strabag along with Bacher Hoch- und Tiefbau was subcontracted for the construction works of the project, while Krätzig & Partner in cooperation with Sennewald and Steger Beratende was engaged to carry out the structural testing and construction supervision.
TÜV SÜD Industrie Service Company was hired for the preparation of the geological report for the project.
Irsching power complex
The existing Irsching power complex comprises a total of five power blocks with the first block commissioned in 1969, followed by the second block in 1972.
The oil-fired Irsching 1 (151MW) and Irsching 2 (312MW) units were shut down in 2006 and 2012, with Irsching 3 (415MW) oil-fired power plant was held as a reserve for the production of electricity during critical grid conditions since 2012. The Irsching 3 power block is scheduled for final closure in December 2023.
Block four, also known as the Ulrich Hartmann power plant, is a 561MW combined-cycle power plant operational since 2011, while the Irsching block five, an 846MW combined cycle owned by Uniper (50.2%), N-Ergie (25.2%), Mainova (15.6%), and Entega (9%) commenced operations in 2010.
As part of the network reserve regulation, the Irsching 4 and 5 power blocks are used only in critical network conditions.
