Gas turbine power plant getting hydrogen retrofit

Thomassen Energy will retrofit one of Uniper’s Rotterdam Capelle (RoCa) power plant’s gas turbines with their HyFlex LEC-III combustion system, capable of being operated with a variable blend of hydrogen and natural gas fuel.

The RoCa power plant, located in the Zuid-Holland Province of The Netherlands, has a net electrical output of 264 MW. It has two Frame 5 gas turbines commissioned in 1983 (RoCa 1 & 2) and one Frame 9E (RoCa3), manufactured by Thomassen, commissioned in 1996. In 2023, Uniper is planning to switch the RoCa plant’s fuel source from Groningen natural gas to a high caloric gas supply. To support their desired gas-fired power decarbonization objectives, Uniper anticipates blending the new gas supply with upwards of 30% H2.

When installed into the RoCa3 Frame 9E turbine in early 2023, Thomassen’s HyFlex LEC-III combustion retrofit system, developed jointly with their sister company PSM, based in the US, will be capable of handling this enhanced fuel flexibility requirement with ultra-low emissions when coupled with the delivery of their combustion AutoTune digital solution.

Thomassen Energy will provide a hydrogen fuel-flexible retrofit solution to support the decarbonization of the Uniper gas turbine power plant in Rotterdam. (Image: Uniper)

“Our H2 fuel-flex retrofit solution selected by Uniper for RoCa3 has been operating successfully on three Frame 9E turbines in the Netherlands at another customer location since 2018 with hydrogen (up to 35% H2 demonstrated) fuel blending,” said Peter Stuttaford, CEO of Thomassen. “These projects confirm our vision in supporting the power industry’s urgent net-zero carbon reduction requirements. Having retrofit options for the installed fleet of gas turbines today, which will ultimately allow operational flexibility with 0 – 100% H2, will provide clean, carbon free, firming capacity to balance the inherent intermittency of grid-scale renewable generation.”