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Modernization of the Plant Expands Energy Generation Capacity While Improving Its Environmental Performance
The construction companies OEC and Tenenge have completed all the required tests for the start of commercial operation of the combined cycle of the Santa Cruz Thermoelectric Plant, owned by Eletrobras Furnas, located in the western zone of Rio de Janeiro, on January 22. With the completion of this testing phase, Furnas can now request authorization from the National System Operator (ONS) and the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) to begin the operation and commercialization of the new 150 MW of electricity generated by the steam-powered Generating Unit.
With the modernization works, the new thermal power plant will have two existing gas turbine generators (Siemens Westinghouse W501F), two new recovery boilers with three pressure levels, and a new steam turbine generator. With this new configuration, the UTE Santa Cruz will increase its generation capacity by about one third, reaching a total of 500 MW, compared to 350 MW in the old design.
The UTE Santa Cruz has always operated in an open cycle, that is, without utilizing the heat from the exhaust of the two natural gas turbines, each with a nominal power of 175 MW. In the old operating model, the generated heat was discarded into the atmosphere through the so-called by-pass stacks. Thermal cycles with such configuration have a thermal efficiency of about 25% to 35%. With the modernization now completed, the so-called combined cycle closure allows this heat to be reused, directing the exhaust gases from the two gas turbine generators, which operate at high temperatures, to two heat recovery boilers, where thermal energy is transferred to the water circuit, producing steam. This superheated steam in the boilers is then sent to a steam turbine generator, producing additional electrical energy.
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The investment in the project carried out by Eletrobras Furnas is of great economic significance, as more electricity is generated with the burning of the same amount of natural gas, representing greater thermal efficiency. It is also environmentally significant, both for better utilization of the thermal energy of natural gas and for the discharge of gases into the atmosphere at a lower temperature.
“This is a highly complex technical challenge, without extra fuel consumption and without an increase in carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, as proactive participants in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since 2015, we are committed to promoting an increasingly clean, renewable, and accessible energy matrix. In this way, we protect the environment and ensure quality of life,” comments Sidnei Bispo, Director of Engineering at Eletrobras Furnas.
According to Maria Alencar, Contract Director of OEC/Tenenge, responsible for the implementation of the combined cycle at the plant, the completion of this project is a source of great pride for all members of the company. “We delivered a project of great relevance that enhances the country’s energy security, and it has provided us with a significant legacy of learning due to the technologies applied. We are grateful to Eletrobras Furnas for the trust placed in us,” she affirms.
OEC has a vast portfolio of deliveries in this segment. It recently delivered the Punta Catalina Thermoelectric Plant in the Dominican Republic, with an installed capacity of 750 MW. In total, it has executed 18 projects in this modality in Brazil and several countries in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
About OEC
Throughout its 78-year history, OEC – Engineering and Construction has been responsible for the execution of more than 2,900 large-scale projects in over 30 countries worldwide, including hydroelectric, thermal, and nuclear power plants, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, subway and urban train lines, airports, ports, railways, refineries, and industrial and mining projects. In 2021, OEC received the Global Best Projects award for the tenth consecutive year, granted by the American magazine ENR – Engineering News-Record, an award considered by the market to be the Oscars of global engineering. For its sustainability-oriented performance, OEC has been receiving the Gold Seal of the GHG Protocol program, which compiles greenhouse gas emissions inventories, since 2014. It currently employs over 18,000 workers of different nationalities in more than twenty projects spread across countries in the Americas and Africa.
About Eletrobras Furnas
Eletrobras Furnas is a subsidiary of Eletrobras, which operates in the generation, transmission, and commercialization of electric energy, present in 15 states and the Federal District. Created in 1957 to ensure energy for Brazil’s industrialization and urbanization process, Eletrobras Furnas operates and maintains a system through which 40% of the energy that powers the country flows. Its system includes 22 hydroelectric plants, 2 thermoelectric plants, and 1 wind complex, either owned or in partnership with the private sector, 34,995.13 km of transmission lines, and 72 substations. Over the past six decades, Eletrobras Furnas’ operations have made it a benchmark for other energy companies in initiatives aimed at adapting its structure to the new regulatory landscape of the Brazilian electric sector. The company prioritizes operational efficiency, process-oriented operations, innovation, and investment sustainability, along with measures aimed at increasing its management transparency.
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