Bulgarian TPP Maritsa Iztok 2 completes Unit 5,7 upgrades

SOFIA (Bulgaria), February 19 (SeeNews) – Bulgarian coal-fired thermal power plant (TPP) Maritsa Iztok 2 said on Thursday it has finalised the reconstruction of Units 5 and 7.

As a result of the upgrades, the two TPP units' lifespan has been extended by 20 years per unit and their capacity has been increased to 232 MWh each from 210 MWh, raising the TPP's total capacity to 1,620 MWh, Maritsa Iztok 2 said in a statement.

The rehabilitation of the units was part of a project to introduce uniform steam turbines in the plant's units 5, 6, 7 and 8 with the aim of cutting production costs for maintenance, repairs and spare parts. The value of the project was not disclosed.

Most of the two units' new equipment was manufactured by Japan's Toshiba, according to the statement.

“In the past 10 years we managed to modernise eight units at TPP Maritsa Iztok 2, including Units 5 and 7,” Toshiba senior vice-president Yoshihiro Aburatani was quoted as saying in the statement.

Last month, the TPP said it received a licence to operate its Unit 7 following an overhaul. It also said at the time Unit 5 had already been upgraded and put in operation last December.

Maritsa Iztok 2 is a subsidiary of the state-run Bulgarian Energy Holding.

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