GE and Alstom to Build Poland’s Last Coal-fired Power Plant

GE and Alstom to build Poland’s last coal-fired power plant. GE Power will partner with Alstom Power, having won a tender to build Poland’s last coal-fired power plant with a bid of $1.75bn.
The 1 GW power plant in Ostroleka in the northeast of the country is expected to open in 2023 and power around 300,000 homes. “GE Power will design, manufacture and deliver its market-leading ultra-supercritical technology components (boiler and steam turbine generator) for this new power plant,” GE Power said in a statement.

Ostroleka coal power plant.

GE and Alstom won over competing bids from Polish construction firms Polimex-Mostostal and Rafako and China Power Engineering Consulting Group.

By 2050, Poland plans to reduce the share of coal in its energy mix to 50 percent from around 80 percent currently, while reducing pollution by switching to new technology such as that which will be used at Ostroleka. “This plant will …help Poland meet its energy needs while also meeting the latest EU standards in terms of air quality,” GE said.  

Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski said last year that Ostroleka would be the last coal-burning plant to be built in Poland. GE built a 858 MW lignite-fuelled power station in Belchatow for power company PGE, and is building two 900 MW units at PGE’s Opole power plant.
State-run Energa and Enea aim to take advantage of a back-up power capacity scheme approved by the EU in February. The scheme will allow them to be paid for electricity and for keeping power plants online to produce when needed.