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Electrocentrale Bucuresti

Electrocentrale Bucuresti S.A. (ELCEN)

• ELCEN is both an electricity producer and a heat energy producer: it is the largest thermal (heat) energy producer in Bucharest (90% of the market) as well as nationwide (40% market share) and it had a 4.8% share of the national electricity market in 2014.
• ELCEN was founded on December 18, 2002, as a subsidiary of Termoelectrica.
• Ownership structure: Ministry of Economy through the Department of Energy (97.51%) and Romgaz (2.49%).
• In 2014, ELCEN underwent a restructuring process and two other companies have been created through separation from ELCEN: Electrocentrale Constanta and Electrocentrale Titan. The division project was approved by the company Board on May 29, 2014 and was published in the Official Gazettte No. 3184 (Part IV) of June 4, 2014. This restructuring is a provision of the Memorandum adopted by the Romanian government in March 2013 that aims to develop a more efficient and high quality public service for residents of Bucharest and Constanta. According to the Memorandum, the next steps of this process would be to:
  • a) transform RADET (Autonomous Administrative Unit for Distribution of Heat – and the only distributor of heat) into a commercial entity (see Annex 1 for Heating Sources (TPPs) and areas supplied by RADET in Bucharest);
  • b) transfer the state-owned shares of Electrocentrale Bucuresti and Electrocentrale Constanta to Bucharest City Hall and, respectively, to Constanta City Hall;
  • c) merge the two companies (RADET and Electrocentrale) for Bucharest, respectively Constanta.

• Following the 2014 restructuring, ELCEN now holds in its portfolio only 4 thermal power plants (TPPs) that service Bucharest, also known in Romanian as Centrala Electrica de Termoficare (abbreviated: CET):
  1.  Bucuresti Sud TPP
  2.  Bucuresti Vest TPP
  3.  Grozavesti TPP
  4.  Progresu TPP

Palas TPP, Titan TPP and Fantanele TPP are no longer part of ELCEN’s portfolio.

• ELCEN Registration No. at Trade Chamber: J40/1696/2003;
• ELCEN Fiscal Identification Code: RO15189596.

 

1. Bucuresti Sud TPP (CET Sud)

(6 units: 1 x 50 MW; 1 x 36.5 MW; 2 x 100 MW*, 2 x 125 MW)

Unit No.	Capacity	Current status	Other relevant info
Unit 1 (1965)	50 MW	Active	The 4 units put in exploitation in the ‘60s (combined 300 MW, put into operation during stage I) have passed their designed lifetime (200,000 hours). Feasibility studies have been conducted in mid 1990s. In 1998 RENEL signed with EIB and agreement for rehabilitation of 2 x 100 MW boilers (at Unit 3 and 4). Project was awarded to Alstom Power and in early 2000s they have been modernized by a consortium made up of Alstom (France), Fortum (Finland) and Itochu (Japan). NOx reduction achieved. The retrofitted boilers have added 150,000 hours of operating lifetime.
Unit 2 (1966)	36.5 MW	Active
Unit 3 (1966)	100 MW*	Active
Unit 4 (1966)	100 MW*	Active
Unit 5 (1975)	125 MW	Active	Another 250 MW (2 x 125 MW) have been put into operation in mid 1970s (stage II). However, according to the National Investment Plan, 1 unit of 125 MW will have to be decommissioned in 2018.
Unit 6 (1975)	125 MW	Active

Location: Bucharest, district 3, Str. Releului nr. 2B

Total final installed capacity: 550 MW, power plant is hydrocarbon (heavy-fuel oil and gas) fired. CET Sud is the largest TPP of this kind in South-Eastern Europe, and represents half of the installed capacity that services Bucharest. The plant operates in cogeneration (supplying electricity and heat) to the capital. CET Sud produces 60% of the heat distributed in Bucharest, specifically to residents in southern districts (Balta Alba, Pantelimon, and Colentina).

• According to the National Investment Plan (Annex 3), CET Sud is planning to build a new CCGT in 2014-2017.

*Note: In Ref. to Units 3 and 4, we found contradictory information re. their capacity. On the one hand, a 1999 governmental source (HG 416/1999) states that unit 3 and 4 have 100 MW capacity (each). But, according to another source, during stage I (1960s) were built: 1x 50 Mw and 3 x 36.5 MW (each). We believe that Unit 3 and 4 may have been initially built with 36.5 MW and later upgraded to 100 MW.

 

2. Bucuresti Vest TPP (CET Vest)

[2 units x 125 MW; 1 unit x 182 MW]

Unit No.	Capacity	Current status	Other relevant info
Unit 1 (1975-‘76)	125 MW	Active	Mainly gas fired, fuel-oil-fired only for secondary /complimentary purposes. Unit 1 can use fuel-oil only in special situations regulated by GD no.440/2010 (art. 12.4)
Unit 2 (1975-‘76)	125 MW	Active
Unit 3 (2009)	182 MW	Inactive	Unit went into scheduled revision on Sept 1, 2014 and is planned to re-enter into operation by the end of March 2015. The repair works were delayed by the supply of some faulty spare parts. This is the newest unit (gas-fired) built by Va Tech. Hydro (Austria). Although the main fuel for this cogen unit is natural gas, it can use diesel for back-up.

Total Installed Power Capacity: 440 MW (electricity production)

Total Installed Heating nominal capacity: 1,757 MW_th (thermal energy produced in cogeneration)

Electricity production capacity: 315 MW

Thermal energy production capacity: 1,195 MW [1,012,472 Gcal in 2012]

Location: Bucharest, district 6, b-dul Timisoara nr. 106 (industrial platform in Western area of Bucharest)

Integrated Environment Authorization: obtained in 2013 (valid until February 28, 2023)

Annual natural gas consumption (2012): 320 Million m³ (Mcm)

Annual fuel-oil consumption (2012): 5,170 tons (fuel-oil with <1% S content)

Annual diesel consumption (2012): n/a

According to GD No. 440/2010, the plant has 9 functional Large Combustion Installations (LCI)s:

• LCI 1 (type I – existent): steam boiler No. 2; nominal thermal capacity of 458 MW_t; own chimney;
• LCI 2 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 1; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 3 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 2; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 4 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 3; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 5 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 4; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 6 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 5; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 7 (type II new): hot water boiler No. 6; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 8 (type II new): hot water boiler No. 7; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 9 (type III new): gas turbine + recovery boiler of the combined cycle; 487 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; separate joint chimney.

 

3. Grozavesti TPP (CET Grozaveṣti)

[2 x 50 MW]

Unit No.	Capacity	Current status	Other relevant info
Unit 1	50 MW	Active	Both unit 1 and 2 are gas-fired. Although, natural gas is the main fuel, fuel-oil (pacura) with a <1% Sulfur content can be used for back-up. Fuel-oil (stored on location) is used only when the pressure in the natgas network drops and can sustain 100% the functioning of the boilers for 15 days. The boilers are equipped with mixed burners allowing to burn natural gas and fuel-oil separately or both at once.
Unit 2	50 MW	Active	To be decommissioned in 2017

Total Installed Power Capacity: 100 MW

Heating capacity: 785 Gcal/h (185 Gcal/h in cogen installations and 600 Gcal/h in hot water boilers

Integrated Environment Authorization: obtained in 2007 (valid until October 30, 2017)

Location: Bucharest, but 4 different sites:

• Site 1: Splaiul Independentei nr. 229;
• Site 2: Sos. Grozavesti nr. 23;
• Site 3: Sos. Grozavesti nr. 25;
• Site 4: B-dul Iuliu Maniu nr. 15D 6.

Annual natural gas consumption (2006): 113 Million m³ (Mcm)

Annual fuel-oil consumption (2006): 7,475 tons (fuel-oil with <1% S content)

The plant’s steam boilers (1 and 2, put into exploitation in 1964) and hot water boilers (1 to 4 which remained operational) are grouped into 5 Large Combustion Installations (LCIs):

• LCI 1 (type I – existent): both steam boilers; nominal thermal capacity of 476 MW_t; own chimney;
• LCI 2 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 1; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 3 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 2; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 4 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 3; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;
• LCI 5 (type I – existent): hot water boiler No. 4; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; own chimney;

Grozavesti TPP has committed not to use LCI 2, 3, 4 and 5 for more than 20,000 hours in the period 01.01.2008 – 31.12.2015.

According to the National Investment Plan (Annex 3), CET Grozavesti is planning to build a new CCGT in 2014-2016.

 

4. Progresu TPP (CET Progresu)

[200 MW]

Unit No.	Capacity	Current status	Other relevant info
Unit 1 (1987)	50 MW	Active	Gas-fired (alternatively, fuel-oil use is allowed in exceptional situations, when the natural gas supply is curtailed)
Unit 2 (1989)	50 MW	Active	Gas-fired
Unit 3 (1996)	50 MW	Active	Gas-fired
Unit 4 (1998)	50 MW	Active	Gas-fired; Proposal to include Unit 4 in the National Transitional Plan (01.01.21016-30.06.2020)

Total Installed Capacity: 200 MW (electricity production)

Heating (thermal) capacity: 750 Gcal/h (of which 450 Gcal/h base capacity and 300 Gcal/h additional peak capacity)

Location: Bucharest, district 3, Str. Pogoanelor nr. 1A

Integrated Environment Authorization: obtained in 2014 (valid until December 31, 2023)

Annual natural gas consumption (2012): 212.3 million m³

Annual fuel-oil consumption (2012): 17,261 tons

The Power plant uses natural gas and fuel-oil (is eqipped with dual-fuel burners).

The plant’s steam boilers^[1] (1-4) and hot water boilers^[2] (1-3) are grouped into 4 Large Combustion Installations (LCIs):

• LCI 1 (type I): all 4 steam boilers; nominal thermal capacity of 1, 148 MW_t; one joint chimney;
• LCI 2 (type II): hot water boiler No. 1; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; separate chimney;
• LCI 3 (type II): hot water boiler No. 2; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; separate chimney;
• LCI 4 (type II): hot water boiler No. 3; 116 MW_t nominal thermal capacity; separate chimney.

Electrocentrale Constanta S.A.

Ownership structure: 100% state owned

Holds Palas TPP (100 MW) that services Constanta and the heat transport network that supplies Constanta. Prior to this, Palas TPP was part of Elcen portfolio.

Electrocentrale Titan S.A.

Ownership structure: Electrocentrale Grup (70.47%), Romanian state (28.8%), and Romgaz (0.73%).

Holds Titan TPP (8 MW) and Fantanele TPP (in Mures county) which previously were in the portfolio of ELCEN.

 

Annex 1:

District Heating in Bucharest: main sources and areas they supply

(hot water supply)

CET NAME	Bucharest areas serviced
CET Energovest	Industrial Platform Militari, Roşu, Păcii-Sud
CET Vest	Bujoreni, Timişoara, Romancierilor, Compozitorilor, Ghencea, Militari, Crângaşi, Giuleşti
CET Griro	Calea Griviţei, Chibrit, Bucureştii Noi, Hrisovului
CET Sud	Colentina, Doamna Ghica, Moşilor, Fundeni, Ştefan cel Mare (between Obor and Spitalul Colentina), Dorobanţi, Perla, Beller, Aviaţiei, Pantelimon, Iancului, Mihai Bravu, Socului, Theodor Pallady, Camil Ressu, Basarabia, Căţelu, Labirint, Foişor, Decebal-Unirii (până la magazinul Unirea), Nerva Traian, Octavian Goga, Mircea cel Mare and Calea Vitan
CET Titan	Pantelimon, Vergului, Baia de Aramă
CET Progresul	Berceni, Tineretului, Şerban Vodă, Văcăreşti, Ferentari, Alexandriei, Petre Ispirescu
CET Grozăveşti	Dorobanţi, Rahova, Cotroceni, 13 Septembrie, Izvor, Centrul Civic, Sebastian, Favorit, Orizont, Răzoare, Gara de Nord, Banu Manta, Bd. Ion Mihalache, Calea Griviţei, Ştirbei Vodă, Plevnei, Piaţa Victoriei
CET Pipera	Aviaţiei, Floreasca, Barbu Văcărescu
CTZ Casa Presei	Pajura, Jiului, Bucureştii Noi, Popişteanu, Chibrit, district 1

Source: Regia Autonoma de Distributie a Energiei Termice (RADET)

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FOOTNOTES:

1. Progresu’s steam boilers were put into operation as follows: Steam Boiler 1(1987, now in conservation), Steam Boiler 2 (1989), Steam Boiler 3 (1996) and Steam Boiler 4 (1998). ↑

2. Progresu’s hot water boilers (HWB) were put into operation as follows: HWB 1 (1999), HWB 2 (2001) and HWB 3 (2003). ↑