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The new power plant, the electric and thermal capacity of which will reach 350 megawatts, will rise in the territory of the current Kaunas Heat and Power Plant (KHPP).

“Another essential step has been made towards the accomplishment of a billion litas-worth investment project in Kaunas, which is included into the National Energy Strategy. Public deliberation on the project will last until the middle of the month. Later on, the decision on the detailed plan will pass to the municipality”, stated Arvidas Ladyga, the technical director of Kaunas Power Plant.

The next step is the selection of the general contractor for the construction of power plant. It is expected to attract to Kaunas the major world energy installation manufacturers, such as “Siemens” (Germany), “Alstom” (France), “Ansaldo” (Italy) and “General Electric” (USA).

Some time ago, environmental impact assessment report had already been prepared, the permit for the development was obtained from the Ministry of Economy and the study of the cable power connection selection was conducted.

The technical consultant of Kaunas Power Plant is an authoritative Finnish company “Pöyry Energy”, which consults a number of world energy producers.

 

 

The new Kaunas Power Plan will come into operation after about three years. Electricity, produced in this plant, would definitely lead to cheaper heat for Kaunas inhabitants. Technology of combined cycle gas turbines is highly valued all over the world due to their low environmental pollution level and high energy generation efficiency. A number of such kind of power plants has been constructed not only in the Western Europe but also in the neighbouring Sweden or Latvia. Technologies of combined cycle gas turbines stand out for low level of pollution and high efficiency in energy production. Let it be assumed that efficiency of energy generation at Göteborg power station (Sweden) reaches 92.5 % (electricity – 43.5 %, heat – 49 %).

According to KHPP Director for Development Jurijus Junevičius, once the more efficient heat and energy production technology is equipped at the new power plant, quantity of pollutants would show substantial decline for the generation of one megawatt-hour, even though fuel consumption will be used to a higher extent than at present.

Moreover, any noisy equipment at the new power plant will be installed in closed and acoustically isolated premises, thus, the level of sound should not exceed the permissible sound level either at the power plant zone or outside it. “Energy production technology of the new power plant will be in compliance with the EU environmental requirements. Air emission controls are to be performed by an automated continuous monitoring system. Our work is based on the principle: Clean Environment for Future Generations”, said the director for development of KHPP, which receives the services of administrator from “Energijos sistemų servisas” (Energy Systems Service).

It is expected that the economic performance of the new power plant in Kaunas will be more efficient than that of the new block under construction at the Lithuanian power plant in Elektrėnai.

 

 

Energy experts in Kaunas have been long since deep in the discussion that the urban energy economy is outdated and the burden of maintenance lies on the shoulders of residents. Padded bills for heating are the result of worn boilers, pipelines and lines. Therefore, the only way to reduce the heating costs of Kaunas residents is to modernise the heat economy.

One of the primary steps for the modernisation of the urban heat economy is the construction of a new power plant because the existing KHPP facilities are worn out. The project for the construction of a new power plant has been initiated once after several feasibility studies it was clarified that for Kaunas residents it is more efficient to construct a new combined heat and power plant instead of investment into the renewal of the current KHPP facilities. Presently, combined heat and power plants are considered as having the most efficient energy generation technology.

As a matter of fact, experts stress that modernisation is needed not only to the thermal power plant, but to the entire Kaunas city heat economy.

 

 

The rise of the new Kaunas power plant is very welcomed also for lower heat prices for the consumers. Head of KHPP Antanas Pranculis noted that due to lower fuel consumption heat generated by the power plant would result in cheaper heat by 20 %. Such pledges by energy specialist raise no doubts to the experts.

“Cogeneration power plant in Kaunas would allow to reduce the heat price as the electricity generation and its sales thereof would cover to the owners of the power plant a part of investment”, stated also professor Eugenijus Ušpuras, the Director of the Lithuanian Energy Institute.

 “Kaunas thermal power plant generates both heat and electric power. Such production is stimulated in Lithuania. City requires heat. This is the most efficient and economical solution because Kaunas is in the need of heat. Any place, which has district heating system, requires a thermal power plant”, Vladas Paškevičius, the President of the Lithuanian Electricity Association, had once said to the media about the need of cogeneration power plants.

Government Ignores the Importance of Investors

Kaunas shows one of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in Lithuania, but the businessmen lack the government’s consideration of their investment. Opposition of the Council of Kaunas city more than once reproached the conservative Mayor Andrius Kupčinskas for the lack of investment projects in the city and suggested learning from Druskininkai, where a number of constructions are underway.

The leader of Kaunas Social democrats Orinta Leiputė had once said that a number of businessmen were likely to leave Kaunas, because the governing officials of the city refrained from any attempts leading to job creation.

As the practice of the construction of cogeneration power plants in other Lithuanian cities, such as Panevėžys and Elektrėnai, demonstrates, construction of new energy facilities attracts a number of the Lithuanian construction and equipment supply companies. Taking into account the project in Kaunas, construction material and equipment manufactured in Lithuania, as well as the Lithuanian labour force will cost almost 100 million litas. Creation of new vacancies would bear a positive effect both to the labour market situation in the second largest city of Lithuania and the entire Lithuania. Only taxes and charges during the construction period of the power plant in Kaunas would make up 25 million litas, whereas during its operation – 280 million litas.

Talking of the construction of the new power plant, the head of Kaunas city had once stated that that was the matter of businessmen responsible for the construction and the municipality would not interfere in whatsoever manner.

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