EDF, one of the world’s leading electric utilities, has selected ABB to supply Symphony Plus total plant automation systems and long-term service support for three 600 MW units at the Le Havre and Cordemais coal-fired power plants in France.

EDF operates 23 fossil-fired power plants in its home market, France. Together the plants produce around 16.9 terrawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually. Although most of EDF’s fleet in France are nuclear power plants, coal remains part of the company’s long-term strategy and energy mix.

Recently, EDF initiated an extensive program to modernize Le Havre 4 and Cordomais 4 and 5 units to extend their operating life by 20 years to 2035. These three units are the largest coal-fired units in the EDF fleet and were built to an identical design in the early 1980s. Each has a generating capacity of 600 megawatts (MW).

The Symphony Plus solution for each unit consists of a distributed control system, turbine control and protection, S+ Operations, which is an intuitive easy-to-use human machine interface (HMI), and a process optimization package for which ABB is also offering performance guarantees. ABB is also supplying a Symphony Plus simulator for operator training and process simulation.

ABB is responsible for design, engineering, installation, commissioning and training, and will install the new Symphony Plus systems during scheduled annual shutdowns over a four-year period ending in 2016.  One of the highlights of the EDF-ABB collaboration is the 21-year maintenance contract that the two companies have signed, in which ABB will provide corrective, preventive, adaptive and remote maintenance for all three units.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order from Enel, Italy’s largest power company and one of Europe’s leading utilities, to supply its Symphony® Plus automation and control system to serve one of the major units at the Grazia Deledda Sulcis power plant on the island of Sardinia.

Grazia Deledda Sulcis is a 590 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant near the town of Portoscuso on the southwestern coast of Sardinia. The plant comprises two units, each with a generating capacity of over 240 MW. The existing control systems will be replaced with a total plant automation solution to enhance the unit’s efficiency and improve its environmental performance. The company is taking proactive measures to improve efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of its coal-fired power plants.

The new Symphony Plus solution includes the recently introduced high-performance controller, burner management and flue gas desulfurization systems, instrumentation, a new control room and operator stations equipped with an intuitive and easy-to-use human machine interface.

“The Symphony Plus plant automation system can make a significant contribution towards improving efficiency and lowering environmental impact by integrating multiple plant production and information systems into a single platform” said Massimo Danieli, head of ABB’s Power Generation business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division. ”It is scalable and enables integration of the plant’s electrical, business and maintenance systems as requirements evolve over time”.

The technology company The Linde Group has been awarded a contract to build a natural gas terminal in the town of Emden in northern Germany. The deal is worth around EUR 260 million. The contract was awarded by Norwegian state-owned company Gassco AS on behalf of Gassled joint venture.

'Norway is one of Germany's most important energy suppliers. The new natural gas terminal is a key milestone in securing future supplies of Norwegian gas to Germany,' explains Prof. Dr Aldo Belloni, Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG. 'We have a wealth of experience in handling natural gas. This project enables us to further promote the use of this environmentally sound fossil fuel.'

The new natural gas terminal will replace the 1977 Norsea Gas Terminal, which is currently being operated by Gassco. The terminal will distribute natural gas from Norwegian-owned gas fields in the North Sea to Germany. The contract covers engineering, procurement and construction for the new terminal. The project is based on the front-end engineering design (FEED) provided by Gassco. The initial work will be carried out by Linde Engineering at the Group's site in Dresden. Construction will get underway in Emden in the autumn of 2013. The facility will be pre-assembled in modules to the greatest possible extent and put together at the construction site. The new natural gas terminal is set to go on stream at the end of 2015.

Technip announces the acquisition of Ingenium AS, a highly-experienced offshore engineering and services contractor located in Oslo, Norway. Ingenium AS designs and develops mechanical and electro-hydraulic tools and equipment, for the offshore oil and gas industry, and provides engineering services for marine operations, such as the installation of pipes and cables. Comprising over 20 highly-skilled engineers in the subsea business, the umbilical lay spread on the North Sea Giant, for the Goliat project, in 2012 is one of their recent achievements.

Odd Strømsnes, Managing Director of Technip in Norway, declared: “Ingenium brings a team with solid experience and engineering capabilities that reinforces Technip’s presence in one of the Group’s key markets. Technip has a long history of working on projects with Ingenium, we are thrilled that they will be joining the Group and complementing our competencies to accompany us in taking it further.”