1st Engie gas plant to increase flexibility and dispatchability with ADEX Technology

In News

11

May
2023

Engie’s Energy Transition Plan includes an improvement of flexibility and availability of its combined cycle energy generation plants, leaving more room for renewables in the mix.

ENGIE and ADEX have signed their first contract to deploy the patented Self-tuning AI control technology in a Combined Cycle Power Plant that the utility has in the Netherlands. Engie’s generation plants will increase performance and reduce thermal damage, while operating under evermore demanding market requirements.

The Dutch electricity market is very challenging for gas plants, as nearly 40% of the electricity mix is already carbon-free, with Wind and Solar collecting upwards of 24% (see Figure 1):

Pie chart with Generation Mix in the Netherlands
Figure 1 - 2021 Electricity Mix in The Netherlands. Sources: IEA and ADEX

The total electricity demand in the country has been rising substantially since 1985 (see Figure 2 below) to reach its current level of 120 TWh, and accordingly the total power capacity of Electric Generation has had to keep pace:

Graph of generation evolution in the Netherlands
Figure 2 - Evolution of the Electricity demand in The Netherlands.

Engie wants to adapt its thermal fleet to the current and future context, where conventional operations might cease to exist at all. Combined Cycle Power Plants, which are increasingly more competitive, are pivotal for the success of all Energy Transition Plans. The software solution provided by the ADEX platform allows for a quick deployment with no intrusion in day-by-day operations (no downtime needed), bringing home benefits from the very first day.