Last overhaul season was marked by funds shortage. – Administrative procedures slow down many businesses. – Big projects for environmental protection start. Administrative procedures brake the scheduled operations to start on time, and non-instatement or delay can hinder regular performance of production tasks of the Company Thermal Power Plant “Nikola Tesla” – says Milan Petkovic, deputy director of TENT.
He points out that the last overhaul season was marked by funds shortages and bad financial condition in the EPS at the beginning of the year so the length of units delay was significantly reduced, and that also means the implementation of planned activities. Petkovic says that the repairs in such circumstances were successfully completed and that the plants are ready for operation.
– The year -end is critical in the situation of a resources lack due to the fact that contracts, especially those on routine maintenance, which, otherwise, were concluded earlier this year in a reduced form, stress both financially and timely, and their recovery is related to the granting of additional financial means that we practically have expected from August in announced rebalance of business program – shows Petkovic. – Unfortunately, due to administrative obstacle, we are not in the position to launch either the funds we left. We are trying to overcome the problem. All structures of the company TENT are engaged in that problem.
This production year, it seems, marked the suppression of production more than ever due to the hot and cold reserve and secondary regulation. What the company TENT can do that no longer be on the network or to obtain adequate compensation for work in secondary regulation?
It is true that there was a lot of repression of our units. Suppression became planned category, all based on predictions about the possibilities of coal production. However, it turned out that the miners during this year worked well, that coal supplies on our landfills are higher than planned, so that the suppression perhaps was not necessary to such an extent. We are, of course, in contact with the EPS Directorate of production and we constantly exchange information pointing to problems and our ability to produce more, and they, in cooperation with other EPS Directorates, look for the opportunities for higher production, which depends to a large extent, on the placement ability. As for the secondary regulation, TENT significantly moved off in this issue so that practically it is about the possibilities examination that, when there are emergency needs for additional electricity production, our drive would be ready to respond to those requests which are not technically and technologically simple at all. We have units that are capable of it, and it is an additional cost everywhere in the world. We still have not this category sufficiently regulated and it is not sufficiently appreciated, but TENT continues working to support such capacity and to be able to respond to the system when it is most needed
There were no significant investments in 2013. Will the situation be different in the next year?
It would be good that we forget 2013th as soon as possible for investment because our original plans for the current year were reduced in financial terms. Of course, everything depended on the financial situation in EPS. It was very bad and we hope that we jointly overcame it, so that we expect on this issue it will be greatly enriched in 2014. and we will be able to realize those works that we have imagined. First of all, it is the revitalization of the unit TENT A3, which should last for six months and will cover almost all parts of the plant on the unit, including the electrostatic filter that should be reconstructed. The reconstruction of electrostatic filters will reduce the emission of harmful particles into the environment below 30 milligrams per cubic meter. Significant work has been provided on the turbine part of the plant, on the boiler, where we planned given the delay length, to do the necessary tasks that directly impact on the environment. By that I mean the reduction of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere, but, unfortunately, despite the complete preparation of tender documents we are not yet in a position to initiate the procedure, mostly because planning categories have not yet been adopted by the Government of Serbia. We expect all these planning categories to be adopted so that we will still be able to get some things we need and implement activities that we have planned. Time is really unappealing factor, but we hope to be able to get quality leads for that part of the job so that we could implement it in 2014.
We will do reconstruction of electrostatic filters in unit A3 with the help of EU funds that will practically finance three -quarters of the job, while one-fourth will be paid with EPS funds. It is expected to continue activities to prepare tenders for flue gas desulphurization in units A3 to A6 in TENT A and we hope to get performers of these works during next year. Tender is almost over, from our side there is still some further harmonization with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, the Japanese bank, as well as a consultant ” Tepski” . After the plan approval we will start the implementation of the plan.
What the Company TENT need to do in the area of environmental protection in next time?
TENT did a very important project in the previous period in the environmental sector. From what remains, besides the reconstruction of electrostatic filters in unit A3 TENT A and desulfurization, pending reconstruction of electrostatic filters in TPP “Morava”, as it is provided for 2014. Further studies of thickened ash transport at TENT A are prepared and because of that these studies need to be amended with cement transport which we expect as a by-product of a desulfurization system. This work should be completed in the next four years. Project of wastewater treatment in TENT B is in the process of completing the preliminary design and we expect that bidder starts extensively with the Main project design, and in spring and with performance of the first works. We work with the European delegation on the preparation of tender documents for the wastewater treatment system also in TENT A. Tender documentation is finalized and we expect that it will be released in the first quarter of 2014.We finished the project of emissions monitoring at all TENT facilities which opens up the possibility that we closely follow the operation of our plants by all the environmental standards and, of course, to respond if any problems arise. We have significant support in funding from the European Delegation in Belgrade and we hope that this cooperation will continue. Desulfurization, it is known, should be financed from the loan that the Japanese government has approved, and the negotiations with the bank ” KfW ” have been taken for the project of thickened ash and gypsum transport at TENT A .
Source; Serbia Energy/EPS