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ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
August/September 2012 www.esb.ie/em
HYDRO PLANT Refurbishment Programme
Generation Operations
JUNE MARKED ANOTHER significant milestone in the long history of ESB’s hydro stations when the Board approved the programme for major refurbishments at Cliff and Ardnacrusha generating stations.
The hydro fleet dates all the way back to 1925 when work began on the Shannon Hydro-Electric Scheme at Ardnacrusha, one of the most important undertakings for the economic and social life of the country at that time. The scheme was the beginning of the electrification of the country and led to the establishment of ESB.
Today, hydro still has an important place in ESB’s generating portfolio with 216MW of hydro-power generation capacity which forms a key part of its renewable energy strategy. Included within this hydro portfolio is 65MW of plant located on the River Erne at Cathleen’s Falls and Cliff in Donegal, and 89MW of plant located at Ardnacrusha on the Shannon.
In 2007, ESB commenced a hydro refurbishment programme with the rewind of Turlough Hill Unit 1. Further major refurbishment works at Turlough Hill Units 2, 3 and 4 and Cathleen’s Fall Units 3 and 4 are about to come to successful completion.
A Hydro Refurbishment Project Team was set up in 2010, led by Stevie O’Mahoney, Project Manager, with a cross functional team consisting of staff from Overhaul Group, Production Engineering, ESBI and station staff. This team was tasked with identifying a refurbishment programme and associated works for the remaining hydro fleet. In particular, this team has:
- Carried out extensive condition monitoring and electrical and mechanical testing of hydro plant;
- Identified the refurbishment requirements across the fleet;
- Developed detailed specifications for inspections of generator rotors at the Carrigadrohid and Leixlip stations;
- Is currently undertaking a major outage at Carrigadrohid Station; and
- Put in place framework agreements including replacement of switch gear and refurbishment of main station gantry cranes.
Resulting from the above condition assessment, Ardnacrusha Unit 3 and Cliff Units 1 and 2 have been identified as requiring major refurbishment works.
Ardnacrusha makes a valuable contribution to ESB’s renewable energy strategy and peaking power capability; however, the investment is also crucial in terms of mitigating the risk of flood damage in the local area. The area is prone to flooding and there is, on average, one flood every four years on the River Shannon. The station itself consists of four units and major refurbishments of Units 1, 2 and 4 and auxiliaries were carried out during the 1990s. At that time, only plant auxiliaries were refurbished on Unit 3.
Cliff Generating Station consists of two 10MW units commissioned in the 1950s. Apart from some interim maintenance in the mid-1990s, these units have not undergone any significant refurbishment since construction.
The Hydro Refurbishment Project Team has developed a detailed refurbishment plan for both locations that contains input from a number of sources including station staff at both locations, Production Engineering specialists and Overhaul Group project managers.
The Project Team made a thorough review of lessons learned on previous hydro overhaul projects and these have formed the basis for the project plan and management plan for the hydro refurbishment. Experienced project and contract management personnel will be used to ensure that the project is successfully completed. A safety and quality management system is in place to ensure the safety of workers is the top priority and that the works are completed to the required standard.
The Board of ESB granted investment approval of up to €38.4m to perform a complete refurbishment of both the generator and turbine for all three units along with the replacement of the governor, switchgear, instrumentation and wiring at Cliff.
The work is estimated to take 11.5 months per unit, with a planned completion date of July 2014 for Cliff Unit 2 and Ardnacrusha Unit 3, and July 2015 for Cliff Unit 1. This work is expected to increase significantly the lifespan of the units to deliver the required level of performance to 2040.
This recent approval reaffirms ESB’s commitment to the generation of electricity from sustainable resources and ensures that hydro electricity will continue to be an important part of the company energy production portfolio well into the future.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) developments
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is seen as a promising technology to decarbonise the power industry and it is likely to feature in ESB’s power plants of the future.
THE POWER INDUSTRY is a major emitter of CO2 and accounts for 21% of CO2 emitted annually in Ireland. There are a number of methods to decarbonise the power industry such as provision of renewable energy from wind, solar, 100% biomass or biomass co-fired with fossil fuels. These technologies are well established and are operational at various capacities globally. Another method is to capture CO2 at the point of generation using carbon capture technology and to store the captured CO2 deep underground in depleted oil or gas fields. ESB is committed to reducing CO2 intensity of power generation, and, through the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), is a co-funder of a pilot plant built to demonstrate the ability to remove CO2 from the exhaust gas of a coal fired power plant. Utilising Mitsubishi Heavy Industries patented technology, the pilot plant has been assembled at Plant Barry in Mobile, Alabama and is designed to capture 150,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum for four years. The flue gas leaving the power plant contains 11% CO2 and a portion of this flue gas is diverted into the carbon capture facility which removes >90% of the CO2 from the flue gas.
To date, the facility has captured 50,000 tonnes of CO2. Currently the captured CO2 is released into the atmosphere, however, the next step in the process is to demonstrate the ability to permanently store the captured CO2 in depleted saline aquifer formations. A 12 mile CO2 transportation pipeline has been built to the nearby Citronelle Dome oil field and CO2 storage is expected to commence soon. CO2 will be injected 3,000 metres underground and will be monitored to further understand its behaviour when stored at this depth.
For further information, contact Fionn Griffin of Generation Operations.
Minister visits Aghada
Generation Operations
THE MINISTER FOR ENERGY, Communications and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD, visited Aghada Generating Station on Monday, July 2nd. He was welcomed by Paul Smith, Station Manager and Bernadine Maloney, Manager Corporate Communications and Public Affairs. During a tour of the facility the minister met with local management and staff. He was interested in the history of generation at Aghada, the different plant technologies currently on site and the important role that Aghada station occupies within the ESB generation portfolio. During his visit to the Whitegate area, the Minister also visited the Whitegate Refiniery and the new Bord Gais power station.
ESB International designs first 220kV GIS station on behalf of ESB Networks
ESB INTERNATIONAL has designed a 220kV GIS substation for the new Combined Cycle Gas Turbine plant at Great Island, Co. Wexford. This is the first of a series of GIS stations to be designed by ESBI on behalf of ESB Networks’ as part of a multi-billion investment in Ireland’s electricity infrastructure.
ESBI’s Civil, Building and Environmental department was responsible for the civil design elements of the project and the construction contract, valued at over €2.5 million was awarded to David Flynn Ltd., a local contractor, based in Waterford. The civil works will be completed at end of August in time for the arrival of the GIS equipment.
