MHI Receives Order for Repowering Project from PT. PLN (Persero) To Convert Aged Power Plant from Oil-fired to GTCC

The No.1 to 3 units at Muara Karang, for which MHI delivered the steam turbines, commenced commercial operation in 1977, and the facility has long played an important role as one of Indonesia's key power plants. However, power generation capacity in Indonesia has become unable to keep pace with the country's electricity demand, which has increased along with economic growth. As a result, eastern Java in particular has suffered from chronic power shortage. The repowering project aims to solve this problem leveraging a yen-loan financing arrangement by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).

The comprehensive repowering project consists of a power plant portion, which MHI is responsible for (generators will be supplied by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation), and a power transmission and transformation portion to be handled by Sumitomo Corporation together with Toshiba Plant Systems & Services Corporation and J-Power Systems Corporation. Mitsubishi Corporation will handle the entire repowering project, including the power plant portion.

For power plant repowering, the existing aged power generation units will be reborn as GTCC power plants through 1) removal of existing boilers, 2) addition of new gas turbines and heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), and 3) renovation and utilization of existing steam turbines. MHI will manufacture and install two M701F gas turbines and two HRSGs, renovate three steam turbines, and perform civil engineering work.

In 2006 MHI delivered a 740 MW GTCC unit incorporating M701F gas turbines to Indonesia's Cilegon Power Plant, marking the country's first introduction of F-type gas turbines. To date, all F-type gas turbines ordered by Indonesia have thus been, or are to be, supplied by MHI.

With GTCC type power generation, gas and steam turbines are used in combination to generate electricity in two stages, utilizing high-temperature exhaust gas from the gas turbine. This configuration enables GTCC power plants to achieve higher thermal efficiency than non-GTCC plants such as conventional boiler steam turbine plants. Higher efficiency means that GTCC plants reduce fuel consumption relative to electricity output and emit less CO2, thus making them more environmentally friendly.

MHI has delivered a large number of GTCC power generation systems both in Japan and abroad, and in the process has gained widespread trust in the market for its proprietary technologies and prompt delivery record. Spurred by the latest order, going forward MHI intends to aggressively market its natural-gas-fired GTCC power generation systems that contribute to efficient energy usage and reduction of environmental burden.