Biblis brings stability
4 July 2023RWE’s 300 MWe gas fuelled Biblis grid stability power plant was officially inaugurated on 9 May, having started operation in early March.
Above: Biblis power plant
The plant uses 11 GE LM2500XPRESS aeroderivative gas turbines, plus GE GIS (gas insulated switchgear). The plant will only operate when needed – aiming to deliver power within 30 minutes upon request from transmission system operators – to help maintain grid stability.
Grid flexibility is a key issue for the German government, which is committed to achieving 80% renewables in the country’s electricity mix before the end of the decade after exiting nuclear and ideally fully phasing out coal power generation. Dispatchable gas power – gradually decarbonised via hydrogen or carbon capture – would cover the remaining 20% of power generation.
The turbines are connected to the grid via a 380 kV high-voltage substation at the Biblis site. The T168 gas-insulated-substation, employing the first outdoor GIS in Germany, “can help address the challenges of networks up to 550 kV for all applications including power generation, transmission, and heavy industry”, says GE. The compact LM2500XPRESS units for this project were manufactured at GE Gas Power’s Manufacturing Excellence Center in Veresegyhaz, Hungary.
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