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World’s largest gas turbine begins trial operation in Irsching
Erlangen, Germany, December 20, 2007
First firing of the world’s largest and most powerful gas turbine, developed by Siemens, was achieved as scheduled on December 20, 2007. This marks the beginning of a planned 18-month trial operation period at the E.ON Irsching 4 power plant near Ingolstadt. After successful completion of trial operation, Siemens will expand the plant to a high-efficiency combined-cycle power plant (CCPP) with a total output of about 530 megawatts and a peak load efficiency of over 60 percent. Handover of the CCPP to E.ON Kraftwerke, a subsidiary of E.ON Energy, is expected to be made in 2011. E.ON and Siemens are investing a total of approximately EUR 500 million in this endeavor.
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. Consequently the objective is to not only meet the continuously increasing demand for electrical energy reliably and economically, but above all in a manner that is climatically-compatible,“ said Dr. Uriel Sharef, member of the board at Siemens AG. Energy. Efficient, innovative products such as our new gas turbine play an instrumental role in this. “With E.ON, we have landed a strong partner for this pioneering project in Irsching. Together we underscore our claim to technological leadership in the energy industry in Germany and worldwide,” Sharef added.
Dr. Klaus-Dieter Maubach, chairman of the board at E.ON Energie AG, pointed out the significance of further technological development in power generation: “Combating climate change has become one of the cardinal challenges in our business. E.ON is planning investments totaling 60 billion euros by 2010. The major part of this will be in new and environmentally benign generating capacities. The Irsching location is an outstanding example of this: Irsching 4 will achieve an efficiency of over 60 percent, in itself a quantum leap in power plant engineering. As a result, this power plant will emit approximately 40,000 tons of CO2 per year less than existing plants. In addition, we are investing in the latest technology for our advanced coal-fired power plants now under construction, and also for the renewable energy sector”.
First Fire Ceremony at Irsching, Germany. From left to right: Willidbald Fischer, Programm Manager 8000H, Dr. Michael Suess, Member of the Group Managing Board of Siemens Power Generation, Michael Glos, Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Dr. Uriel Sharef, Member of the Board at Siemens AG, Dr. Klaus-Dieter Maubach, Chairman of the Board at E.ON Energie AG and Hans-Otto Rohwer, Project Manager Irsching 4 and 5
SGT5-8000H with generator at Irsching
The Power Generation Group (PG) of Siemens AG is one of the premier companies in the international power generation sector. In fiscal 2007 (which ended September 30), Siemens PG posted sales amounting to more than EUR12 billion and received new orders totaling approximately EUR18 billion, according to IFRS. Group profit amounted to EUR1.147 billion. On September 30, 2007, PG had a work force of more than 40,400 worldwide. Further information at: www.siemens.com/powergeneration.
E.ON Kraftwerke GmbH is German based, with its head office situated in Hanover. Within the E.ON group E.ON Kraftwerke is the specialist for planning, constructing und operating coal- and gas-fired power plants. The company operates power stations at more than 30 locations in Germany with an overall installed capacity of approximately 15,000 megawatts, covering 10 percent of the German demand. E.ON Kraftwerke also engineers and builds new power stations in several countries in Europe. 4,200 employees produced last year a turnover of approx. Euro 3 Billion. The mission of E.ON Kraftwerke is to generate electricity reliably and in a manner that conserves natural resources. E.ON Kraftwerke therefore is constantly exploring new ways of improving the efficiency of its plants. Continuous reductions of plant emission levels are one result of this effort. Further information at: www.eon-kraftwerke.com
Reference Number: PG200711.015 e