Rolls-Royce has been awarded a €70 million contract by RWE, Germany’s largest electrical supplier, for four Trent 60 generating sets to replace 1970s technology gas turbines at the Emsland combined cycle power station. These units were included in the number of Trent engines previously announced by Rolls-Royce as part of its order book.

As the most efficient and environmentally friendly gas turbine in its class, the new 58MW Trent 60 WLE sets will push efficiency and flexibility of the Emsland gas-fired station. The re-powering will increase efficiency by 12% in optimum load. This will lead to less gas consumption and reduced emissions (such as carbon dioxide).

Charlie Athanasia, vice-president of power generation for the Rolls-Royce Energy business, said: “Re-powering existing stations with the higher efficiency Trent gas turbine can achieve a number of environmental and production benefits for the operator.

“By utilising existing buildings, transmission lines and major parts of the existing station components, such as the electrical generator and boilers, the concept of re-powering effectively increases capacity without the need for a new power station. This greatly reduces the time between order placement and the delivery of increased power.”

The new revised generating plant is scheduled to enter service in 2011.

The Trent 60 engines will be manufactured at the Rolls-Royce plant in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, while the packaging of the generating sets will take place at the company’s Mount Vernon, Ohio, facility.