Sep 27 2005
E.ON Energie and Siemens are to implement a new power plant project at E.ON Energie’s Irsching site in Bavaria, which will set new benchmarks in terms of performance and operating economy. In a first step, Siemens will build a newly developed gas turbine plant. With a capacity of 340 megawatts (MW) this machine will be the world’s largest and most powerful gas turbine. After the test phase, this gas turbine plant will be extended to form a high-efficiency combined cycle power plant with a capacity of approximately 530 MW and an efficiency of over 60 %. E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH, a subsidiary of E.ON Energie, will take over the plant after a successful trial operation and put it into commercial use.
”Supplying the world’s growing population with electricity is a gigantic challenge – especially if it has to be done in an economically, ecologically and socially compatible manner,” stated Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld, President and CEO of Siemens AG. In the next 15 years, experts are anticipating an approximate doubling of the world’s energy demand. “To meet that demand, we need a balanced energy mix and especially innovation. With our new gas turbine we will set new benchmarks in Germany for environmentally compatible, economic power generation,“ said Kleinfeld. Siemens will invest approximately 500 million Euro in development and construction of the prototype plant in Irsching.
Dr. Johannes Teyssen, CEO of E.ON Energie AG and Member of the Board of E.ON AG, emphasized that the efficiency increase attained with the gas turbine will make a major contribution toward climate protection. “With this gas turbine plant in Irsching we will tread on new technical ground,“ said Teyssen. Combined cycle power plants thus far in Germany attain maximum efficiency levels of 58 %. This new gas and steam cycle turbine with an operational efficiency increase of over 60 % will set a new world ranking. “Thanks to the higher efficiency, lower generation costs are anticipated,” said Teyssen.
The combined cycle power plant will cost several hundred million Euros and will create about 20 new jobs at the Irsching site. Work performance and material purchases locally will provide a positive impetus for the regional economy. Further jobs in the region are also linked to the future operation of the combined cycle power plant. The E.ON Energie subsidiary E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH currently operates a gas-fired power plant comprising of three units at the Irsching site: Unit 1 (151 MW), Unit 2 (312 MW) and Unit 3 (415 MW).
The Power Generation Group (PG) of Siemens AG is one of the premier companies in the international power generation sector. In fiscal 2004 (which ended September 30), Siemens PG posted sales amounting to approximately 7.5 billion Euro and received new orders totaling 9.2 billion Euro. Group profit amounted to 961 million Euro. On September 30, 2004, PG had a work force of approximately 30,900 worldwide. Further information at: www.siemens.com/powergeneration.
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