Alstom to Supply the Boiler and Turbine Hall for a New Highly Efficient 900 MW Coal-Fired Power Plant in Poland

Regulatory News:

Alstom has been awarded a contract worth approximately €900 million by Elektrownia Rybnik S.A. (ERSA) to supply the core power generation equipment for a new 900 MW coal-fired power plant to be built at the Rybnik site in Poland. Alstom’s scope includes supply of the boiler and its coal milling system and the complete turbine hall including steam turbine, generator and the balance-of-plant auxilliaries. Commercial operation is scheduled in 2017.

The contract will be executed in two phases. The first for around €100 million is effective immediately and covers pre-engineering and support to ERSA during the permitting process. The second phase for €800 million will be effective after the full notice to proceed expected mid 2013.

ERSA is one of the main Polish subsidiaries of the French electric utility, EDF. Alstom will be responsible for the design, engineering, supply, erection, commissioning and testing of the delivered equipment. EDF will cover the complete project engineering and coordination to integrate the Alstom supply in the total power plant.

ERSA currently operates a 1775 MW hard coal fired power plant at Rybnik comprising eight units commissioned over the period 1972-1978. The new plant is being constructed at the same site and will be fired by hard coal and biomass. After construction of the new unit, the total ERSA generation capacity could meet approximately 12% of the electricity demand in Poland.

Supercritical power plants operate at a higher temperature than regular coal-fired power plants. The high temperature increases the pressure at which they operate, which in turns improves their efficiency, increasing the amount of power output and decreasing carbon dioxide emissions per unit of fuel burned. These plants can reach a net efficiency of over 45% (the average efficiency of coal-fired plants in Poland is 36% currently).

Andreas Lusch, Senior Vice President of Alstom’s Steam Business, said: "This contract further strengthens Alstom’s leadership in supercritical technology in Europe and the rest of world. Our growing references in Poland clearly demonstrate the confidence that our customers place on this technology to produce cleaner, cheaper and reliable power and confirms Alstom's excellent industrial set-up in Poland, allowing it to maximize local supplies and the project execution. ”

About Alstom

Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 92,700 people in around 100 countries, and had sales of €20.9 billion in 2010/11.