Russian district heating modernisation continues

Efforts to improve district heating networks in Russian cities saw more progress this week with the announcement of two new power plants in the Chelyabinsk, south Urals.

Wärtsilä has been chosen to supply the CHP plants, adding to its portfolio of projects in Russia. The company’s modular combined heat and power plant solution is being used tomeet the needs of local administration programmes to modernise district heating systems in many parts of the country.

The two power plants are to be built for Perspektiva LLC, a private investment company, and will be located in the towns of Kasli and Karabash. Both plants will have an output of 20 MW and will be powered by Wärtsilä 34SG engines operating on natural gas.

Along with emergency boilers, the power plants will be the sole suppliers of heat to the towns they serve, each comprising approximately 17 thousand inhabitants. The deliveries are scheduled to be completed by June 2014, and the two plants are planned to be operational in the autumn of 2014 in time for the winter heating season.

Replacement of the old boilers by cogeneration plants will significantly improve the fuel utilisation rate by producing extra power, and will thus improve both the economic and environmental performance of the combined system.

The facilities are vital in terms of a reliable heat supply for what are extremely long and cold winters in this region.

Source: COSPP