Basic HTML Version
lnauguration
of the lignite-fuelled power
plant in
Neurath, Germany
As part of the “Open Door Day” organized
on 15 August, RWE celebrated not just the
40th anniversary of the power plant but also
the start of power production at the lignite-
fuelled power plant (BoA) which features
optimised technology systems. Attending
this event were Hannelore Kraft, the presi-
dent of the North Rhine-Westphalia region;
Peter Altmeier, ministry of Germany’s De-
partment of the Environment, Nature Con-
servation, and Nuclear Safety; and Peter
Terium, managing director of RWE, who
also acted as the master of ceremonies and
launched the power generation system at
the new power plant.
Worth a total investment of 2.6 billion Eu-
ros, the project is the greatest investment
ever made by RWE, Germany’s leading
electric utility, in its history.
The most advanced lignite-fuelled
power plant in the world
With a level of efficiency of 43% and a high
degree of flexibility, this two-group plant
has a total generation capacity of 2,200
megawatts (MW) and is the most advanced
lignite-fuelled power plant in the world. In
comparison with older plants and with the
same amount of electricity production, the-
se facilities reduce CO
2
emissions by six
million tons per year. It can also generate
16 billion kilowatts-hour, equivalent to the
ALPlNE was in charge of building the two cooling towers
and several service buildings.
Materials used in construction
•
380,000 cubic meters of concrete.
•
91,000 tons of steel
•
The length of the cables installed is the same as the distance from Neurath to
Moscow, 2,500 km.
energy requirements of 3.4 million house-
holds.
ALPINE’s innovation in the
construction of cooling towers
ALPINE built two 172-metre tall cooling
towers and several service buildings for the
new optimised F & G groups with lignite
combustion at the current Neurath power
plant.
Two major innovations developed by AL-
PINE were used in the construction of the
cooling towers: a hydraulic climbing scaffol-
ding and high-performance, acid-resistant
concrete. The use of the climbing scaffol-
ding, which does not have to be disassem-
bled between the different phases, made
it possible to reduce construction time by
about 20%. At the same time, it also en-
hanced significantly workers’ safety.
Thanks to the use of a special high-perfor-
mance concrete in the construction, it was
not necessary to apply a protective layer on
the surface which also contributed to redu-
ce construction time and costs.