OREANDA-NEWS. January 25, 2012. In preparation for the  launch of the new combined cycle unit, Lietuvos energija has put together a team of specialists who will take over the unit from Spanish contractor Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion, S.A.U. this summer to begin operation.

According to Lietuvos energija, AB CEO Dalius Misiunas, the company is trying to initiate employees who will be overseeing the operation of the combined cycle unit as early as possible, so as to ensure a smooth handover of the project, which is of national importance. It is for this reason that the company put together a team of specialists – the Combined Cycle Unit Division.

“These are experienced and highly competent specialists who have worked for our company for many years, so we are confident that everything will go smoothly. The members of the team that was formed have been improving their knowledge and skills at intense training courses that have been going on for a year already; the members of the team have also been gaining experience by visiting analogical combined cycle power plants abroad, as well as by participating in testing of the new unit together with the contractors,” said Mr. Misiunas.

The Combined Cycle Unit Division is made up of 21 employees. The majority of them have been working as specialists at the Lithuanian Power Plant for many years. The lead engineers have more than ten years of experience in energetics; most of them have been working on the combined cycle unit project from the beginning of its development, so they are well acquainted with the technical specifications and will be able to organize the operation and maintenance of the unit. The Combined Cycle Unit Division is headed by Darius Kucinas, who has worked at the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant for the past 16 years.

Testing of the new 455 MV combined cycle unit, during which 400 million kWh of electrical energy will be produced, will begin in February. At that time, connection of the unit to transmission system operator Litgrid’s power grid, which is currently being carried out, will be completed.

In July the unit will be handed over to Lietuvos energija, AB. Warrantee service of the main equipment will be provided by equipment suppliers General Electric and Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion. It is expected that the combined cycle unit will begin operation this autumn.

The purpose of the new combined cycle gas turbine unit is to increase the Lithuanian Power Plant’s production capacity, reliability and efficiency, and to reduce the cost of electricity generation. The new unit, which will replace units 3 and 4 of the Lithuanian Power Plant, will require approximately 30% less gas to produce a kilowatt-hour, and is also superior from an environmental point of view. An agreement concerning the construction of the combined cycle unit was signed with Spanish concern Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion, S.A.U. in the end of April, 2009.