By Yemie Adeoye

Siemens Energy has announced a record-breaking feat in efficiency to over 60 percent while achieving maximum operating flexibility ten years after launching the ambitious innovation program for a new generation of its H- class gas turbine.

By this act, Siemens has now achieved a new world record in power plant efficiency with the SGT5-8000H gas turbine at the Irsching 4 plant.

This was contained in a press release issued by the company’s head of Corporate Communications in Nigeria, Olusegun Akinlabi and made available to Vanguard.

He also noted that with an output of more than 578 megawatts (MW) and an efficiency level of 60.75 percent, Siemens has markedly surpassed the targeted efficiency mark of over 60 percent during the test phase, making history in the field of power plant technology.

The new Siemens gas turbine is designed for 400 MW in simple cycle duty and for 600 MW in combined cycle duty. “These are historic dimensions and world record levels”, declared Michael Suess, CEO of Siemens Energy Sector.

Siemens not only left all current records with regard to output and efficiency far behind, but also raised the bar for operating flexibility. “In particular with more wind and solar plants providing a steadily increasing percentage of fluctuating power in-feed to the grid, rapidly reacting large-scale power plants that can compensate for weather-dependent in-feed fluctuations are a decisive factor for maintaining grid stability”, Suess continued.

The new H class plant can quickly react to the demands for additional or reduced output. Siemens tested a number of corresponding load gradients for this. As an example, more than 500 MW can be put online in the space of only 30 minutes and stable load gradients of 35 MW/minute can be run. “These are absolutely exceptional figures”, emphasized Suess.

This top-notch performance is made possible by the perfect interaction between innovative gas turbine technology and the key components of the overall plant, which are optimized for high temperatures and pressure.

“Our trail-blazing power plant with this gas turbine in the highest efficiency class impressively shows that climate protection and low-cost power generation using fossil fuels can go hand in hand.

The new generation of our combined cycle power plants, for example, consumes one-third less natural gas per kilowatt-hour generated than the average for the combined cycle plants currently installed worldwide. At the same time, CO2 emissions also drop by a third”, stated Suess.

“The Irsching 4 power plant is a prime example of eco-friendly, flexible power supply for the future,” said Klaus Hammer, COO of E.ON, with responsibility for combined cycle power plants. “High efficiency, flexible gas turbine power plants like Irsching 4 and the Irsching 5 plant, which went on line in 2010, significantly help to compensate the increasingly pronounced fluctuations in the feeding of renewables-based power and thus make an important contribution toward assured power supply in Germany,” added Hammer.