GE has secured a contract from UCED Group, the energy division of Czech investment group CREDITAS which is focused primarily on long-term investments in established industries. GE will supply a LM6000 PC Sprint aeroderivative gas turbine to expand UCED Prostějov reserve power plant with the aim of helping to stabilise the grid and support renewables growth in the Czech Republic. GE’s equipment is scheduled to be delivered to site early in 2024 and, once in operation, will add approximately 50 MW to the national power transmission system. The project supports the Czech government’s main target to diversify energy sources by increasing gas and renewables and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030, compared to 2005.
Although GHG emissions in the Czech Republic have fallen since 1990, it remains the fourth largest emitter per capita in the EU, according to the McKinsey sustainability report. As there is a high proportion of energy-intensive industries in the Czech economy, the country's emissions intensity is significantly higher than the EU average, but it could reduce emissions by 2030 primarily by curtailing its dependence on coal, the country’s only significant source of indigenous fuel.
UCED plans to add and integrate further power blocks creating a 1000 MW power complex in the Czech Republic by 2030, with an expected investment of over CZK 20 billion. Prostějov power plant will be part of a UCED ‘virtual power plant’ consisting of several decentralised, interconnected sources that are controlled by one central control room. The main energy source will be gas – natural gas, biogas, or gas blended with hydrogen. The complex will also include solar parks, wind farms, thermal and biomass plants.
Image courtesy of GE
