OMV Petrom: Brazi power plant provided more than 32 TWh of electricity over the last decade
OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy company in South-Eastern Europe, celebrates 10 years since the commissioning of Brazi power plant. The plant produced a total quantity of over 32 TWh of electricity during this period.
Franck Neel, Member of the OMV Petrom Directorate, responsible for the Gas and Power activity: “We are proud that the Brazi plant has been for ten years a reliable producer for the industry and households in Romania. At the same time, our power plant is a benchmark for the security of electricity supply, given the fast start-up time, flexibility, and high efficiency. We believe that, for Romania’s energy transition, natural gas is the best partner for renewable energy.”
The Brazi power plant is a combined cycle power plant that uses natural gas to produce electricity for the national grid, using an advanced technology that allows it to stop and restart in a very short period. Due to this technology, the power plant has an important role in providing ancillary system services and balancing the National Grid System, compensating with power when renewable sources are intermittent. This advanced technology allows the power plant to operate in high efficiency conditions of 57%, compared to the average of 30% recorded by the power plants in Romania.
OMV Petrom invested EUR 530 million in the Brazi power plant, which is the largest private greenfield investment in Romania. The construction of the Brazi plant began in 2009, and the commercial production started in August 2012.
The Brazi combined cycle power plant has an installed capacity of 860 MW and has three turbines – two gas turbines, with a capacity of 290 MW each and a steam turbine, with a capacity of 310 MW. Natural gas is used for the first two turbines, and the thermal energy contained in the exhaust gas is then transferred to the two recovery boilers, which produce steam for the third turbine. Through this process, the Brazi power plant has the capacity to generate up to 11% of Romania’s electricity production or to ensure the entire consumption of Bucharest.