FACTS & FIGURES - Tecnimont ICB

Energy for Albania
Albania is a country in transition from a centrally planned to a market-based economy. This poses
major challenges as well as providing new opportunities. Two key factors favouring social and
economic development are the availability of electricity and the diversification of energy supply.
Albania has seen rapid growth in demand for electricity, which has brought an increasing dependence
on imports. Sustainability of electricity supply is becoming an increasingly sensitive issue for the
country, and a programme to reform and improve the performance of the energy sector and open the
market is being implemented. The Valona power plant, supported by the World Bank, European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and European Investment Bank (EIB), is a cornerstone of
the new policy.
Valona Power Plant
In 2007 Tecnimont beat other major international
bidders to win the contract for the construction of a
gas turbine combined-cycle (GTCC) power plant at
Valona, southern Albania. The agreement is in two
parts: a ¤92 million contract for engineering,
procurement and construction, and a ¤23 million
contract for long-term gas turbine maintenance
service. Around 90% of the EPC project is being funded
by the World Bank, the EBRD and the EIB. KESH is
responsible for the remaining 10%. The project, due to
be completed in September 2009, consists of a 100 MW
GTCC at ISO conditions, with emission limits in line
with the most stringent regulations thanks to the use
of the most advanced technologies.
The Valona plant is designed to be self-sufficient. It will
be equipped with its own sea terminal and pumping
station to receive deliveries of diesel oil and sufficient
tank storage for diesel oil to ensure operation of the
plant for over 30 days. It will also have its own sea water
cooling system and reverse osmosis desalination plant,
coupled with a continuous plant producing dimineralized
water to feed the heat recovery steam generator.
The plant will be able to satisfy the electricity demand of
a town of about 250,000 inhabitants. It is Albania’s first
big project in the power sector for 20 years and
represents the first major attempt to alleviate the
country’s shortage of energy. It will also help diversify
the country’s source of electricity, which now comes
only from hydropower. The project contributes
significantly to the local labour market. It will represent
a total of approximately 1.5 million working hours, of
which more than 900,000 hours will be attributable to
Albanian companies.
Contract type: EPC
Client:
Albanian Electric Energy
Government Authority (KESH)
Contractor: Tecnimont
Contract value: ¤115 million
Capacity: 100 MW GTCC
Local biomass
provider
58 59
5,000 ha
70 km
180,000 tonnes
biomass poplar
Production
18 MW
BIOMASS SHORT CHAIN
Towards one of the Largest Biomass Power Stations:
Contributing to the Green Energy Sector in Italy
As part of the Maire Tecnimont’s increasing focus on renewable
energy, the Group is promoting a biomass power station at
Olevano Lomellina (Pavia, Italy). Construction will start in June
2009 and the project should be completed by mid-2011. The
power plant, with an installed capacity of about 18 MW, will be
built by Tecnimont as general contractor. The investment is about
¤75 million. Maire Tecnimont will form a special-purpose company
to manage the plant in association with local biomass providers,
who have guaranteed its entire lifetime raw materials supply.
The project is the first example of this magnitude of real integration
between the agriculture and power sectors in Italy, in line with the
local supply chain (“filiera corta”) requirements of the Ministry of
Agricultural, Food and Forest Politics. This approach offers
farmers the long-term prospect of a new and dependable source of
income from traditional farming. Significant benefits are also
foreseen in terms of employment and the development of local
services. Local residents will benefit from new urbanization works,
discounts on electric tariffs, and so on.
The power station will produce about 140,000 MWh per year,
sufficient for a town of about 40,000 inhabitants. It will have
virtually zero environmental impact and no CO 2 emissions. A
traditional coal-fired power plant of this size would emit more
than 100,000 tonnes/year of CO 2.