Alstom to build 450MW combined cycle heat and power plant in Cologne

French power manufacturer Alstom will build a combined cycle heat and power plant in Cologne, Germany for RheinEnergie

AG, a regional service company providing energy and drinking water in Cologne and the Rhineland region around Cologne.

The Niehl 3 CHP power plant, to be commissioned in 2016, will have an installed capacity of 450 MW, using natural gas as its fuel.

7.0pt">mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">The new gas-fired power plant

will reportedly reach an overall efficiency of close to 85 percent. The project is worth EUR350 million ($456 million). This contract is part of a German program to add more highly efficient combined heat and power plants.

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7.0pt">mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">Alstom will provide one GT26 gas turbine, one steam turbine, the turbo-generator, heat recovery steam generator and district heaters as well as power plant control systems. The combined-cycle plant is part of Germany's "energy turnaround," now that it has eliminated nuclear as part of its energy mix.

7.0pt">mso-bidi-font-family:Arial">According to Alstom, gas-fired power plants such as this one support grid stability with fast start-up times and high efficiencies, even at low load. The company’s KA26 combined cycle power plant achieves efficiencies of over 60 percent and can be started up in less than 30 minutes.