April 15, 2008

Castejon 2: Ready to reign in Spain

By Peter Ladwein, Alstom Power

Fast-track milestones met

Alstom signed the contract to build Castejon 2 on December 21, 2005, and the project’s notice to proceed was effective one week later. All main foundation work was completed 10 months following project kick-off, and all main structural steel was erected a month later.

Erection of the main equipment began 12 months after the notice to proceed. The first big piece of equipment to arrive on-site was the TOPGAS generator. It was followed by the GT26 gas turbine and then, one month later, the STF15c steam turbine.

Cold commissioning began just 15 months after project kick-off. Hot commissioning commenced just 20 months after contract signing.

Hoping for a repeat

During its first three years of commercial operation, Castejon 1 achieved 98% availability, on average. HC Energía has been quite satisfied with that figure—and with the plant’s great operational flexibility and start-up reliability.

HC Energía expects that Castejon 2 will perform just as well. Alstom believes that that is indeed possible, and not just because it has optimized the design and integration of the KA26-1 and its major subsystems. Indeed, the company will help determine whether Castejon 2 is successful by fulfilling its obligation under a separate contract to provide long-term O&M support to the plant.

—Peter Ladwein is the Castejon 2 project director for Alstom Power.