Biblis gas turbine power plant by RWE
Biblis gas turbine power plant by RWE

Reliable energy supply for Southern Germany

Biblis gas turbine power plant

On 13 November 2020, RWE Generation was awarded the contract for building and operating a 300-megawatt gas-fired grid reserve plant in Biblis by transmission system operators Amprion in the tender for “grid stability systems”. The new plant, built just south of the nuclear power plant, now provides a stable capacity of 300 MW. However, this capacity is not deployed in the market, but can be called up by the grid operator Amprion to ensure grid stability in an emergency.

The eleven gas turbine units first fired up in June 2022. After successfully completing a performance test, the plant has been in operation since March 2023 to be ready for use by Amprion.

Status: In operation

Facts & figures

November 00 , 2020

RWE Generation was awarded contract for building and operation

00 megawatt

gas-fired grid reserve plant in Biblis

00 gas turbines units

first fired up in June 2022

Background

The transmission system operators Amprion, TenneT and TransnetBW put grid stability plants with a capacity of 300 MW each out for tender in summer 2018 to ensure a reliable energy supply for Southern Germany. Strict requirements had to be met – for example, the full-load reserve capacity of the system had to be reached within a maximum of 30 minutes after the start signal, and the power had to be supplied with a very high availability. This is not surprising, as the systems are designed to prevent potential power outages.

Against this background, RWE decided to use an innovative concept with 11 gas-fired turbines with a nominal capacity of 34 MW each, to ensure performance with a high level of redundancy. Gas turbines of this type are also used in aviation and can therefore reach the required load after start-up without delay. The concept proved to be convincing, as RWE was awarded the contract for the construction of the plant in the tender.

Biblis gas turbine power plant by RWE

Information about the project

The gas turbine power plant is modular, comprising eleven identical gas turbine units of Type LM2500XExpress manufactured by GE, with auxiliary equipment and facilities for fuel supply and grid connection. This allows the plant to deliver the required capacity of 300 MW, even during maintenance or in the event of failure of individual turbines.

The gas turbine power plant was constructed on a former car parking area site south of the Biblis nuclear power plant, on a site belonging to the municipality of Biblis in the Bergstrasse district (Southern Hesse region). As a rule, the plant is automatically accessed by grid operator Amprion and operated by RWE personnel working at the power plant in Dormagen, but the staff on site can intervene at any time as needed.

RWE Generation informed the residents about the construction project and the associated approval procedures in early December 2019. The construction and operation of the gas turbine plant was subject to a mandatory approval procedure pursuant to section 4 of the German Federal Emission Control Act (BImSchG) and an environmental impact assessment, which were successfully completed. The plant is permitted to operate for a maximum of 1,500 hours per year.

RWE Generation SE

RWE Platz 3
45141 Essen
Germany
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