The Pancevo thermal power plant will have a power generation capacity of approximately 209MW. Credit: Gazprom.
Construction of the Pancevo combined-cycle power plant began in March 2019. Credit: Gazprom.
Gazprom awarded the contract for the power plant design and construction to Shanghai Electric Group. Credit: Gazprom.

Pancevo thermal power plant (TPP) is a combined-cycle power plant under construction in Pancevo, Republic of Serbia. It is considered to be the country’s biggest energy project in the last two decades as well as the first combined-cycle facility in Serbia.

The Pancevo TPP is being developed as a co-generation plant with 208MW installed electric capacity and 121 gigacalories (GCal) of installed heat capacity.

It is being developed with an estimated investment of €180m ($209m), the majority of which is being provided by Gazprom Energoholding Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom.

Construction of the thermal power plant began in March 2019, while commercial operations are expected in 2020.

Ownership and management of Pancevo thermal power plant

Serbskaya Generaciya Novi Sad, a joint venture between Tsentrenergoholding (51%), which is a member of Gazprom Energoholding Group, and NIS Novi Sad (49%), which is a part of Gazprom Neft Group, is the project developer.

TE-TO Pancevo, a wholly owned subsidiary of Serbskaya Generaciya Novi Sad, is responsible for managing the construction of the plant.

Gazprom decided to rename Serbskaya Generaciya Novi Sad and TE-TO Pancevo as Gazprom Energoholding Serbia and Gazprom Energoholding Serbia TE-TO Pancevo respectively, in March 2019.

Pancevo thermal power plant location and operation details

The Pancevo thermal power plant is being developed within an industrial district near the Pancevo refinery, which is owned by NIS Novi Sad.

The plant is expected to consume up to 339 million cubic meters (Mcm) of natural gas a year. It is also expected to generate 1,400GWh of electricity and 1.1 million tonnes (Mt) of steam a year.

The steam-type heat energy generated by the co-generation plant will be supplied to NIS Refinery and the petrochemical plant in Pancevo. The refinery complex will use 35% of the electricity generated by the plant, while the remaining 65% will be fed into Serbia’s power system.

Pancevo thermal power plant make-up

The Pancevo power plant will be equipped with two AE64.3A gas turbine generator units from Ansaldo Energia featuring WY18Z air-cooled generators, two steam utiliser boilers from Shanghai Boiler Works, and one steam turbine from Shanghai Turbine Works.

With a gross power output of 80MW, the AE64.3A gas turbine can offer 55.7% net plant efficiency and generate 120MW of net plant power output in combined-cycle configuration.

The four-stage axial turbine comes with a disk-type single-shaft rotor and a 15-stage compressor. It features extended film cooling with a thermal barrier coating and cooling optimisation, as well as faster start-up, ramp, and hot restart capabilities.

“It is expected to generate 1,400GWh of electricity and 1.1 million tonnes (Mt) of steam a year.”

The horizontal, double-pressed utiliser boilers will feature a natural water circulation system and generate steam at a rate of 120t/h.

The condensation-type steam turbine to be used by the plant will feature two regulated steam extraction systems and a 60MWe generator.

Other plant components include forced circulation-type cooling towers, a pump station, gas measuring and compressor stations, transformer blocks, and associated transmission lines.

Contractors involved

TE-TO Pancevo engaged Shanghai Electric Group (SEG) as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the Pancevo thermal power project in October 2017. As part of the contract, SEG is responsible for the design, equipment supply, and commissioning of the plant on a turnkey basis.

Ansaldo Energia is the supplier of gas turbines and generators for the Pancevo thermal power plant, under a €40m ($49m) contract awarded by SEG in March 2018.

Tianjin Electric Power Construction Company, a subsidiary of China Energy Engineering Group, is engaged as one of the construction contractors for the Pancevo thermal power plant development.