State-owned power utility EPS is planning to withdraw its coal-fired thermal power plants Morava and Kolubara A from electricity production by 2023 and switch to natural gas.
As part of its decarbonization process, EPS said that it will use natural gas as transitional solution, adding that existing infrastructure at these TPPs can be used efficiently and roughly the same level of electricity generation could be achieved.
So far, EPS has launched a tender for the preparation of a feasibility study and a preliminary design of gas-fired power plant Morava with installed capacity of 120 MW. The aim is to define the technical-technological solution for the installation of a new gas-steam boiler, to define the construction plan and to set the costs for the project.
The gradual introduction of natural gas in electricity generation enables the easiest possible overcoming of the transitional period until the full switching to the production from renewable energy sources. Until the full decarbonization is secured, the construction of a larger number of gas units can be expected in the locations which currently feature coal-fired thermal power plants.