POWER Digest [March 2021]
Hydropower Plant Comes Online in Turkey. GE Renewable Energy in February said the company has successfully completed the Lower Kaleköy Hydropower plant at the Lower Kaleköy Dam in Turkey, with the plant going into full commercial operation with the last of its three units connected to the regional grid. A consortium led by GE Renewable Energy’s Hydro Solutions division provided three 155-MW vertical Francis turbines, including the control system, the balance of plant, and the switchyard for the hydropower plant. Lower Kaleköy in the sixth-largest hydro plant in Turkey developed by the private sector in terms of installed capacity. The plant is the first in Turkey with hydropower and solar power—in this case, 80 MW of solar capacity—under the same license.
Iberdrola, Irish Developer Partner on Wind Projects. Ireland-based renewable energy developer DP Energy and Spanish energy giant Iberdrola in February announced they have an agreement to develop three offshore wind projects off the Irish coast. Iberdrola has acquired a 3-GW pipeline of offshore wind and a majority stake in DP Energy’s Irish offshore business. At least two of the three potential 1-GW projects are expected to come online between 2028 and 2030. The installations involved in the DP-Iberdrola deal include the Inis Ealga Project off the coast of County Cork, and the Clarus Project off the coast of County Clare. Both projects are based on floating wind technology. The projects are considered an important part of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan, which has a goal of producing 70% of the country’s power from renewable resources by 2030.
Solar Project Comes Online in South Africa. The Zeerust solar project in South Africa entered its operational phase in late January. The 75-MW solar power plant, in South Africa’s North West province, supplies electricity to the grid of the state-owned utility Eskom, via Eskom’s Kameeldoorn substation. The project’s owner, Zeerust Solar, said the facility includes 250,080 solar panels installed on about 440 acres. The project has a power purchase agreement between Zeerust Solar and Eskom. Cobra Energia, a company based in Madrid, Spain, led construction of the project, which was awarded under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Purchasing Programme. The South African government designed the program to encourage private investment in the renewable energy sector.
Cogeneration System Chosen for District Heating Project in Poland. Caterpillar in February announced that Energetyka Cieplna Sp. z o.o. has signed an agreement with Caterpillar dealer Eneria Poland to provide an integrated cogeneration system that will supply up to 8 MW of electric power, and 7.9 MW of thermal power, year-round for the municipal utility’s customers in the city of Skierniewice, Poland. The project will expand Energetyka Cieplna’s heat and power capacity to more than 100 MW. Eneria Poland will deliver the key components of the system, which includes four Cat G3516H gas generator sets, heat recovery components, controls, silencers, and exhaust components. The project is set to begin operation in early 2022. The new system upgrades the current district heating system, which serves more than 24,000 customers.
Wind Farm Connects to Kenyan Grid. BioTherm Energy, an independent power producer based in Johannesburg, South Africa, in late January connected its Kipeto wind farm to the grid of the state-owned Kenya Power and Lighting Co. (KPLC), in preparation for the 100-MW facility entering commercial operation. The Kipeto wind farm is Kenya’s second-largest wind power project behind the 310-MW Lake Turkana wind farm. Kipeto features 60 turbines, each rated at 1.7 MW, supplied by GE Renewable Energy. The project also includes a 220-kV line that will move electricity from the wind farm to the Isinya substation in Kajiado County. The farm is located in the foothills of the Ngong Hills in Kajiado County, southwest of the capital Nairobi. Kipeto Energy, a company formed to execute this project, is 88% owned by BioTherm Energy. Craftskills, a Kenya-based company, owns the remaining 12%. Kipeto Energy has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with KPLC.
Trina Solar Supplies New Array in Dominican Republic. A solar power farm in the Dominican Republic (DR) will use modules from Trina Solar, the company announced in late January. Trina, based in China, said it would supply 268,200 430/450 W double-glass TSM-DEG17M modules to the 120-MW Sunflower Solar Park, being developed in the country’s San Cristobal province. The installation will be the largest solar farm in the DR and one of the largest in the Caribbean region. The project is being developed by Dominican power producer Empresa Generadora de Electricidad Haina SA (EGE Haina), and is being built by Spanish builder Elecnor SA under an engineering, procurement, and construction contract with EGE Haina.
—Darrell Proctor is associate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).