Quarterly Status Report: Global Gas Power Projects

The latest edition of this report offers a snapshot of the new projects and key project developments taking place in the global gas power sector in Q3 (July-Sept) 2012.

EICDataStream currently records a total of 455 gas power projects under construction and an additional 247 projects proposed for future development, which together have a total potential investment value of nearly $530 billion. EICDataStream is a global project database that tracks more than 9,600 of the most significant projects across the energy industry, but it should be noted that there will always be a proportion of proposed projects that do not gain planning approval and the requisite finance. 

Project activity remained steady throughout Q3 2012 with 27 projects added to the database that total a potential investment value of nearly $20 billion. In comparison, Q2 saw 30 projects added worth $17 billion. Hot spots of activity in this quarter were found in Turkey and Russia, while the largest single project—both in terms of value and capacity—has been proposed in Japan.

In Turkey, four new projects totalling an anticipated 2,745 MWe capacity and worth $2.7 billion were added in Q3 2012. The largest of these is the Tekirdag Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant with a planned 870 MWe capacity, to be built in the Tekirdag region, west of Istanbul. The developer, Sarp Elektrik, has been awarded a 49-year generating licence by the Turkish energy regulator EPDK.

Over in Russia, COTES Group has been awarded the conceptual design contract for the Nizhny Novgorod CCGT combined heat and power (CHP) plant, to be built in the Nizhny Novgorod region, east of Moscow. Construction of this 900-MWe plant is planned in two stages: the first stage is for construction of a 450-MWe power unit together with the auxiliary balance-of-plant systems and structures, with another power unit of a similar capacity to follow in the second stage. On each of the double-boiler single-turbine units, two gas turbines will be installed as well as two heat recovery steam generators and one steam cogeneration turbine.

In Japan, Kansai Electric has started discussions with the Wakayama Prefecture Government about proposals for a major 3,700-MWe combined cycle power plant in Wakayama city. The project was initially approved back in 1997 but was postponed indefinitely due to slow growth in electricity demand. However, the project has been revived, likely in part due to a huge increase in demand for alternative power supplies following the suspension of nuclear power generation in the country post-Fukushima.

One project that is making good progress to date is the KAR Group’s planned 640-MWe Open Cycle power plant in Kurdistan, which will be fed by natural gas from the Khurmala oil field. In September, Siemens was awarded the supply contract for four SGT5-2000E gas turbines and four SGen5-100A generators, with commissioning scheduled for 2013.

In Norway, a full-scale 450-MWe CCGT power plant with integrated carbon capture is planned in the municipality of Fræna on the northwest coast. The proposal includes plans to capture up to 90% of the CO2, which would be used for enhanced oil-recovery (EOR) operations, with the power intended for the Ormen Lange gas terminal and the onshore grid.

The operator Sargas has partnered with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, which will lead offshore EOR operations, and SNC-Lavalin, which will provide engineering, procurement, and construction expertise. The consortium has also stated plans for a plant along the Gulf of Mexico in the U.S., using the same technology. Sargas has forged a commercial alliance with GE, which will see Sargas’ patented carbon capture and sequestration technology configured for use with GE’s LMS100 gas turbine.

The year so far has seen 97 gas power projects added to the database, potentially worth $67 billion. With a similar amount of activity each quarter, the data suggests a healthy, but steady trend in new project developments. The next quarterly report will be published in January. 

—Neil Golding is head of business information for the Energy Industries Council.