ČEZ secures Siemens Energy turbine for Třinec gas-fired power plant

Energy company ČEZ ESCO has secured an SGT-800 gas turbine from Siemens Energy for a planned combined-cycle gas power plant at Třinecké železárny (TŽ) in the Frýdek-Místek area. ČEZ informed the Czech News Agency (ČTK) of the deal today. It did not specify the cost of the turbine. The new gas-fired unit will replace an ageing coal-fired boiler.

Energetika Třinec, part of Třinecké železárny, plans to replace two old coal-fired boilers, reducing its carbon dioxide emissions and lowering its costs for purchasing emissions allowances. They will be replaced by a combined-cycle gas power plant comprising a gas turbine designed to burn natural gas, with the option of co-firing hydrogen at up to 15 percent by volume. Construction, costing CZK 4.4 billion, is expected to be completed in 2030. Combined heat and power generation at the new facility should, among other things, enable heating supplies to Český Těšín.

The construction of the new power plant in Třinec is one of ČEZ ESCO's largest contracts. "This is a highly demanding project, which we started working on immediately. Securing the gas turbine is crucial to building the new facility. The turbine is the heart of every power plant, and I am pleased that, even under the current challenging market conditions, we have managed to secure it from such a high-quality supplier as Siemens Energy," said ČEZ ESCO CEO Kamil Čermák.

According to ČEZ, the selected SGT-800 turbine is an ideal solution for small and medium-sized flexible combined-cycle gas power plants, such as the one to be built in Třinec. The main turbine and generator module, housed in a soundproof enclosure, is approximately 24 metres long, seven metres wide and six metres high. The turbine has a capacity of 62 megawatts (MW).

Engineering work on the turbine's manufacture will begin this year, while delivery is scheduled for 2029. The turbine will be manufactured at a plant in Finspång, Sweden. "The SGT-800 technology is based on proven Swedish manufacturing. The local team will play an important role, working with the manufacturing plant to provide long-term servicing of the equipment throughout its lifetime," said Siemens Energy Czech Republic CEO Jaroslav Lahoda. According to him, the company has so far supplied more than 550 of these turbines worldwide.

Energetika Třinec provides energy services to Třinecké železárny, particularly for steelmaking operations. It also supplies hot water and heat to a large part of Třinec.

Třinecké železárny is the Czech Republic's only steel producer. It produced more than 2.425 million tonnes of steel the year before last, generated revenue of CZK 47.371 billion and posted net profit of CZK 316 million. The company's main products include long rolled products – wire rod, section steel, special bar steel, drawn steel, rails, wide flat steel, seamless tubes and semi-finished metallurgical products. Including its separate operations, TŽ employs approximately 6,800 people.

ČEZ ESCO is a subsidiary of ČEZ. It focuses on services related to modern energy, decarbonisation and reducing the carbon footprint of industrial customers, municipalities and institutions. Companies within the ČEZ ESCO holding employ around 2,200 people. The group increased its EBITDA operating profit to more than CZK 2.6 billion the year before last, nearly CZK 500 million more year on year.