French power utility EDF has announced plans to construct a 900 MW supercritical coal-fired power plant on the Rybnik site in Poland.
The project, worth around €1.8 billion, will involve the replacement of the four oldest units at the Rybnik plant with a single, more efficient one.
EDF said the advantage of the supercritical technology is its capacity to achieve the highest net efficiency in the market—equivalent to 45 per cent.
The company added that its decision is in line with the group’s strategy to reinforce its position in Central Europe and target 200 GW of installed capacity by 2020, with a diversified energy mix, including 25 per cent fossil-fired energy.
Rybnik will feature the combination of biomass and coal combustion in order to produce up to 10 per cent green energy, thus reducing CO2 emissions by 30 per cent compared to traditional coal units. Rybnik will therefore reduce its CO2 emissions by one million tonnes per year (given an equivalent output).
The power block (boiler island and turbine hall) will be supplied by Alstom. Approximately 2,000 people will be employed during the six-year construction phase, EDF said.
EDF has had a presence in Poland for the last 12 years and is the country's biggest foreign investor and energy producer, with a turnover of more than €1 billion and an installed power capacity of more than 3 GW. EDF's activities in Poland represent 10 per cent of the electricity market and 15 per cent of district heating in the country.
The company buys around seven million tonnes of coal per year, making it one of the largest clients of Polish mines.
EDF estimates electricity demand in Poland to be increasing by around three per cent each year.
