Bulgarian coal-fired thermal power plant (TPP) Maritsa East 2 received a licence to operate its Unit 7 following an overhaul.
The licence was granted on January 6 after the unit passed a 72-hour operational test, the TPP operator said in a notice published on its website.
As a result of the upgrade, the plant’s efficiency was raised and the life-span of its equipment was extended by 20 years, the company added. The plant’s capacity too was increased, it said, without quoting figures.
Maritsa East 2, a subsidiary of the state-run Bulgarian Energy Holding, has an installed capacity of 1,600 megawatts.
The unit’s rehabilitation was part of a project for the introduction of uniform steam turbines in the plant’s units 5, 6, 7 and 8 with the aim to cutting production costs for maintenance, repairs and spare parts. The value of the project was not disclosed.
Unit 5 has already been upgraded and put in operation in December last year.
