France-based multinational power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure company Alstom has signed a 12-year contract with the State-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) to provide turnkey maintenance for two gas turbines at the North Bangkok combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) Block 2.
The long term service agreement (LTSA) contains performance guarantees for the duration of the contract and also requires Alstom to provide technical training for EGAT’s maintenance staff.
Currently under construction by Alstom in consortium with Sumitomo, the North Bangkok CCPP Block 2 will be the first CCPP in the world to utilise the company’s upgraded GT26 gas turbines.
The €80 million (about US$ 93.448 million) maintenance contract is in addition to a €225 million (US$ 262.822 million) Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract awarded to the company in 2013 to supply turbogenerators, heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), steam turbines and distribution control systems to the project.
Once construction is complete next year, the plant will add an additional 850 MW to the 15 GW which Egat currently generates from almost 40 power generating plants located across Thailand.
Michael Rechsteiner, senior vice president Alstom Thermal Services, said Alstom has had a presence in Thailand for more than 40 years and in that time has built more than 7GW, equivalent to about 23 per cent, of Thailand’s current power generating capacity.
Thailand is currently home to the largest fleet of Alstom GT26 gas turbines in East Asia with the two to be supplied to the North Bangkok CCPP Block 2 project increasing the number of units in use in the country to nine.
According to Alstom the GT26 gas turbine offers greater operational flexibility, reliability, and availability resulting in improved efficiency with lower emissions.
Mr Rechsteiner said Alstom was committed to working with Egat in helping it achieve its goal of increasing Thailand’s electrical generating capacity to 55 GW by 2030 while minimising carbon dioxide emissions.
Other Alstom projects in Thailand include the 350 MW CCPP Bang Bo power plant built in 2000 in Samut Prakan province for which it signed a 10-year renewal of the original operations and maintenance contract in 2013, a 1,468 MW CCPP at Kaeng Khoi in Saraburi province built at a cost of US$663 million, and a 720 MW CCPP at Hemaraj Chonburi Industrial Estate, about 150 km (93 miles) south-east of Bangkok.
Source : http://www.establishmentpost.com/alstom-inks-e80-mill-maintenance-contract-north-bangkok-ccpp/
