The Zainskaya State District Power Plant (SDPP) in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia is being expanded to accommodate a new, high-efficiency combined-cycle power plant of 858MW capacity.
Construction on the new plant was started in September 2020, with commissioning expected in January 2025.
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The Zainskaya SDPP is owned and operated by OAO Generating Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tatenergo, which is an electric utility company based in the city of Kasan in Russia.
The Republic of Tatarstan holds a 49% stake in Tatenergo, while the remainder is owned by the state-owned investment company Svyazinvestneftekhim.
Estimated to cost £394m ($514m), the proposed combined-cycle power plant is intended to replace some of the ageing steam units of the existing plant to reduce natural gas consumption and harmful emissions.
The Zainskaya SDPP expansion project is being undertaken as part of the national modernisation programme of old thermal power plants by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation.
Location and site details
The Zainskaya SDPP plant site is located in the historical Middle Volga region in Zainsk town of the Tatarstan Republic, Russia.
The existing plant is recognised as the symbol of the era of the rapid development of the oil industry, large-scale construction of oil refining and petrochemical enterprises in the region. All these industries are considered as the flagships of the Tatarstan economy.
The Zainskaya SDPP history and development details
The Zainskaya SDPP is one of the biggest combined heat and power plants in Russia that comprises 12 gas-fired units of approximately 200MW each, commissioned between 1963 and 1972.
However, the total capacity was reduced to 2,204.9MW, following the deactivation of unit-1 during 2009 and the re-labelling of unit-12 at 204.9MW in 2012.
The remaining 11 power units of 200MW capacity each which were modernised using Emerson’s Ovation control system techno during the period of 2004 to 2012.
The Zainskaya SDPP uses natural gas as the primary fuel and fuel oil as the reserve fuel for power generation.
The plant fulfils approximately 25% of the power consumption needs in Tatarstan and is a major source to connect the European energy system with the Urals and Siberian energy systems. It generated up to 6.76 billion kWh of electricity in 2019.
Zainskaya SDPP combined-cycle power plant make-up
The 858MW combined-cycle power plant at the Zainskaya SDPP will be equipped with a GE 9HA.02 gas turbine, a GE STF-D650 steam turbine, and a triple pressure heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) from GE.
It is expected to be Russia’s most efficient gas-fired power plant with a combined cycle efficiency of approximately 64.7%. It will replace some of the ageing steam turbine units at the existing plant to increase operational efficiency and reduce emissions.
The rated capacity of the GE 9HA.02 gas turbine is 571MW while that of the GE STF-D650 steam turbine is 281MW.
The other components of the power plant will include hydrogen-cooled GE H78 and air-cooled GE A78 generators, booster compressor station with a gas purification unit, and auxiliary systems for cogeneration.
Contractors involved with the Zainskaya power plant expansion
ENKA, a Turkish engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company, was contracted for the design, construction and commissioning of the Zainskaya SDPP expansion project in July 2020.
GE received the order to supply the key power generation equipment for the new plant in September 2020.
