Poland’s power company, Enea, has confirmed that the modernisation of its gas power plant in Kozienice (east Poland) with a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) technology, will enable the co-combustion of green hydrogen in the gas units.
The power plant’s modernisation, which is expected to start in 2024, is part of the company’s strategy to phase out the use of coal (Enea Green Change). Aiming to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the strategy defines gas units as a low-emission energy source that support’s the company’s transition to renewable energy sources (RES).
“The CCGT gas units in the Kozienice Power Plant are one of the strategic investments of the Enea Group in the process of rational transformation of our energy concern. Modern installations will have H2 Ready technology, which means that hydrogen can be fully co-combusted. This is a future-proof solution which, thanks to green hydrogen, will enable a further reduction of emissions,” said Paweł Majewski, President of the Management Board of Enea SA.
Enea is currently considering two investment options: the construction of two units, each with a capacity of around 1,100 megawatts (MW), or three units with a capacity of an estimated 700 MW. The final investment decision will take place as a result of the company’s tender process, the company said.
“Kozienice Power Plant is a strategic unit in the Polish power system, whose operation stabilises, among others, electricity supply for the Warsaw agglomeration. Therefore, Kozienice needs a source of electricity built on the basis of a reliable and well-known CCGT technology,” said Lech Żak, Vice-President of the Management Board for Strategy and Development of Enea.
The project is implemented by a special purpose company, Enea Elkogaz, which is currently conducting a tender in the ‘competitive dialogue mode’, with plans to sign a contract in the fourth quarter of 2023. In parallel to the ongoing competitive dialogue, talks are underway with institutions that are interested in financing the CCGT project, Enea said.
Arrangements are also underway regarding the route of the gas connection and its basic technical parameters. The first gas units are planned to be commissioned in 2027, the company said.
