LM6000 Sprint to provide district heating in Italian cogeneration plant

GE recently announced that it will provide an LM6000-PF Sprint aeroderivative gas turbine and related services to Enipower S.p.A. (Eni) for its Bolgiano district heating plant in San Donato Milanese, near Milan, Italy. The Bolgiano cogeneration plant produces thermal energy both for district heating and cooling for Eni headquarters, municipal buildings and residential users. Commercial operation of the plant is expected in December 2013.

High efficiency, low emissions

The ecomagination-approved LM6000-PF features high efficiency, superior fuel gas consumption and fuel flexibility, coupled with lower emissions and water usage in both the 50 and 60 Hz segments, while providing full generating capacity within 10 minutes. GE’s LM6000-PF is an industry leader in the 35-60 MW range. With the highest reliability (more than 99 percent) and availability (more than 97 percent) in its range, the LM6000-PF guarantees NOx emissions as low as 15 ppm. Higher efficiency enables lower fuel consumption per unit of power output than competitive technologies, yielding fuel cost savings and NOx and CO2 reductions for turbine operators.

Energy savings

Energy savings for the new Bolgiano district heating plant are estimated at 181,000 MW hours of thermal energy per year, equal to approximately 15,600 TOE (tonne of oil equivalent) per year. When completed, the plant anticipates an 84 percent reduction of NOx emissions and a 20 percent reduction of CO2 emissions. The Bolgiano CHP currently produces more than 267,000 megawatt hours of thermal energy per year using four GE gas turbines. The network extends to about 56 kilometers and currently provides heat and hot water for 20,000 Italian families.