PGE Gryfino Dolna Odra H-Class Power Plant Comes Online in Poland

­GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE: GEV) and PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) announced today the start of commercial operation of 1.4-gigawatt (GW) PGE Gryfino Dolna Odra Combined Cycle power plant, in the Western Pomerania region of Poland. Powered by GE Vernova’s HA combined cycle equipment, and built by the Polish engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) company Polimex Mostostal (Polimex) part of the GE Vernova-led consortium, the plant can deliver the electricity needed to power the equivalent of more than 3 million households in Poland. 

For PGE Gryfino Dolna Odra power plant, GE Vernova provided two blocks of 683 megawatts (MW), each including a GE Vernova 9HA.01 gas turbine, an STF-D650 steam turbine, a W88 generator and a Once Through Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG), a key enabler in advanced water-steam cycles delivering higher combined cycle efficiency.

In addition to the core power plant equipment delivered in a turnkey combined cycle configuration, GE Vernova is contracted to provide a holistic solution including a 12-year service agreement to manage key aspects of the project’s lifecycle, training and maintenance management to enhance operational performance and support the reliability of PGE Gryfino Dolna Odra power plant.

"The commissioning marks the completion of the construction of the state-of-the-art largest gas-fired power plant in Poland – PGE Gryfino Dolna Odra with a total capacity of 1366 MW. The new gas units will replace the old and inefficient coal units at the Dolna Odra Power Plant, thus aligning with PGE Group's strategy for decarbonizing its generation assets. At the same time, the new investment will strengthen Poland's energy security and provide stable energy supplies for over 3 million households," says Dariusz Marzec, President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna. "Thanks to its flexibility, meaning the ability to start up quickly and adjust the volume of energy produced, the investment in Gryfino will help meet market demands and assist in stabilizing the power grid in Poland and optimizing the use of variable energy production from renewable sources," adds Dariusz Marzec.

According to Poland National Energy and Climate Plan for the years 2021-2030, Poland’s energy policy aims to reduce CO2 emissions by increasing the use of renewable energy sources (RES) and natural gas, introducing nuclear power, and improving energy efficiency. In 2023, Poland generated 61% of its electricity from coal fuel with an expected target to reduce it significantly in favor of gas, nuclear power generation and renewables, with the country’s commitment to becoming a major player in offshore wind, aiming for at least 3.4 GW of capacity by 2030.

“To support Poland’s climate and energy transition agenda, as more coal fired plants are retired, the need to add more reliable and flexible power that provides greater grid stability is essential” said Joseph Anis, President & CEO of GE Vernova's Gas Power business in Europe, Middle East & Africa. “H-class power plants like PGE Gryfino Dolna Odra have a lower emissions impact with up to 60% less emissions compared to other plants of the same size powered by diesel, coal and other fossil fuels. The project represents a milestone for Poland, adding to the system a large-capacity plant that can bring stability to the country's electricity matrix and we are pleased our collaboration with PGE proved, once again, to be effective.”

PGE’s energy system supported by GE Vernova

Building on more than three decades of delivering energy solutions to Poland, GE Vernova continues to support Polish customers, like PGE, to choose and implement the energy systems which best meet their needs and targets for energy security, costs and better sustainability.

Last year, GE Vernova announced the modernization of PGE’s Porąbka-Żar Pump-Storage power plant, in the Sola basin in Silesia. GE Vernova will provide four new 125 megawatt (MW) pumped-storage turbines and generators, which are replacing the over 40 year-old existing hydro assets to increase the operational efficiency and extend the lifetime of the hydropower plant for several decades. PGE’s Porąbka-Żar Pump-Storage power plant, the second largest pumped-storage power plant in Poland with an installed capacity of 500 MW, provides important ancillary services to the Polish electricity system and it is the only underground power plant in Poland.

This year, GE Vernova, in cooperation with Polimex Mostostal (PXM), was awarded to build the onshore infrastructure for the Baltica 2 Offshore Wind Farm.  The wind farm, jointly developed by Ørsted and PGE will help stabilize the electrical grid. GE Vernova’s project will include a 275/400 kV high voltage substation including transformers and compensators (STATCOM) and onshore export lines for efficient power transfer to the Polish Power System. 

GE Vernova’s factories in Elblag, Wroclaw and Goleniow, and the Engineering Innovation Center in Warsaw are good examples of how GE Vernova delivers the technology to support electrification and decarbonization in the country. Steam turbines and generators for PGE Gryfino Dolna Odra were manufactured in GE Vernova’s Poland-based factories in Elblag and Wroclaw respectively.